


Dangerous Liaisons

by Gemzee90



Category: Larry Stylinson - Fandom, One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-22
Updated: 2014-02-18
Packaged: 2018-01-09 16:53:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 42,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1148504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemzee90/pseuds/Gemzee90
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis is the son of the mayor, his whole life he's had everything handed to him on a plate with one catch; he mustn't admit that he's gay. When he meets the new boy in town, Harry Styles he soon realises just how difficult it is to live that lie when the person you love is standing right in front of you...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:  
Louis hated to brag but in the quiet town of Ramsgate he was kind of a big deal. Being the son of the Mayor had turned out to be very beneficial for Louis, he was able to get the job he loved without any qualifications, nobody dared to say no to him, he never had to pay for his own drinks and he could have his pick from any woman in the town; the only problem with that was that Louis was gay. He had attempted to discuss the issue with his parents several years back when he was a confused teenager and his father’s exact words where, ‘Are you trying to make a fool of me? Nobody will ever take me seriously with that floating around.’ Those words had stuck with Louis; he knew that if he did ruin his father’s career then he wouldn’t be able to live the life of luxury he was currently leading so if that meant pretending to be something he’s not then so be it. His father had introduced him to a young lady named Katherine a couple of months back and they had been ‘dating’ ever since. Katherine was beautiful; she was 5 foot 11, slender, toned and looked like a porcelain doll; her facial features were perfectly defined and it was blatantly obvious she was going to be a model but for now she was working in a local clothes store whilst she made her way through university. Louis, on the other hand, worked at a local football stadium and helped to coach some of the younger players a couple of nights a week; he loved his job and it was always a nice escape from his thoughts. He got along with Katherine, to his surprise she had turned out to be a bit of a tomboy, so they spent their time together watching football matches, playing computer games and eating junk food. It helped to make this charade a little bit easier; it was obvious Katherine was physically attracted to him and the fact the two of them got along made it easier for Louis’ to pretend he was attracted to her.  
It was a Tuesday afternoon and Louis was sat at home watching highlights from the Chelsea match, he had a bottle of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Louis’ dog, Oreo was sinking his teeth in to a squeaky toy and after a little while it was really starting to grind his gears. Before he had the chance to snatch the toy away his phone started to vibrate, it was Katherine.  
“Hey” he answered, fixing his eyes back on the television and turning up the volume.  
“Oh hey, Louis I’m on my dinner so thought I’d ring you”.  
“Hmm”. He replied, still concentrating on the screen.  
“I’ve had such a horrible day and I’m only three hours in to my shift! There’s this new guy that’s started, Harry and he is best friends with the manager, Nick so he has been getting special treatment all day… The thing is though, he’s so clumsy and he keeps making mistakes and then blaming them on me when customers start complaining”. Katherine explained, hurt filling her voice.  
“Want me to have a word?” Louis asked, knowing full well Nick was terrified of him and was scared that Louis’ would have his shop shut down if he didn’t comply with his rules.  
“Pick me up from work at 6? And if it’s still as bad, then yes please… I like working here, I thought me and Nick where starting to see eye to eye and then this pretty boy comes in…” Pretty boy? Louis’ ears pricked up at those words. “And it’s obvious that Nick has a crush on him and that’s why he lets him get away with murder… I don’t know, Louis. It’s just stressing me out”.  
“I’ll sort it, babe. I promise. I’ll see you at 6”. Louis chucked his phone on to the cushion beside him and smiled; oh how he loved a pretty boy. If he couldn’t have one for himself then he was never going to turn down the opportunity to stare at one for a little while and allow his imagination to run away with him.  
Louis parked up on the high street; his white Audi R8 getting the usual admiring glances from passers-by. For some reason Louis had styled his hair and threw on his best pair of jeans before heading out to the shop; can’t blame a boy for wanting to look his best, especially if there was a supposed pretty boy hanging around. He strolled in to the shop and caught Katherine mid argument with (Wow) obviously the pretty boy, Harry. He wasn’t just an average pretty boy; he was much more than that, in fact he literally took Louis’ breath away. He was slightly taller than Katherine and had long, slender legs that he had squeezed in to a pair of dark, skinny jeans. His hair was a chocolate brown colour; he had natural curls that were being held in to place by an American flag bandana that he had casually tied around his head. As Louis approached the two of them he could see Harry’s face in more detail; his lips were a perfect shade of pink and they were so plump Louis almost died at the thought of them wrapped around his dick. Katherine and Harry both glanced towards Louis as he interrupted their argument; blue fixed on green for just a brief second.  
“Can I help you?” Harry asked; his voice deep and raspy, nothing like Louis had imagined it would sound like.  
“Yes you can, I would like an explanation as to why you think it’s okay to undermine my girlfriend?” Louis piped up, coming in between the two of them and staring directly in to Harry’s green eyes. He was going to enjoy shouting at this boy; reducing him to a crumbling heap and having him be afraid of Louis and his threats.  
“Ahhh, of course” Harry said, casting a judgemental glance between Katherine and Louis.  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
“Of course she would have a pretty boy as a boyfriend”. Wait, he’s the pretty boy in this situation?  
“Kathy, go wait in the car” Louis snapped, realising this discussion wasn’t going to turn out as he had hoped.  
“You’re not going to do anything-“ she started, Louis merely shot her a warning glance and she grabbed her bag from the side and scurried out of the shop. That was the kind of thing he was used to, people obeying his every command not having some curly haired boy answer him back.  
“Listen, curls. I don’t know who you think you are but this is my town, if you don’t play by the rules then I’m going to have to teach you a lesson”.  
“Your town?” Harry chuckled to himself, taking a step closer to Louis and towering over him.  
“Did I stutter?” Louis replied, refusing to be intimidated by this boy, who clearly lacked any sort of fashion sense, as he was fashioning what appeared to be a woman’s blouse.  
“Listen, I don’t take kindly to you coming in to my place of work and dishing out threats. You clearly think you’re some kind of celebrity but I couldn’t care less, I won’t be bullied into following your orders. So I think you should leave.”  
“I’m here because you think it’s okay to undermine my girlfriend; who has worked here longer than you and is probably 10 times smarter than you. If I hear one more story of you mistreating her I will make sure you don’t step foot in this shop ever again”. Louis was feeling pretty smug now, usually the job threat worked a treat but Harry didn’t even flinch, instead he kept his eyes fixed on Louis’ and shrugged his shoulders.  
“And how do you expect to stop me?”  
“What’s going on?” Nick exclaimed, bursting out from the back room and taking hold of Harry’s arm.  
“This gentleman was being rude and abrupt, he came in and started threatening me, Nick and I refuse to stand there and take it”.  
Louis didn’t say anything, his lip curled up and he raised his eyebrows, eager for Nick’s response. An awkward silence drifted over the three of them; Harry was waiting for Nick to defend him, his eyes wide with anticipation.  
“Harry, I need to speak to you in the back”. Nick piped up, eventually. Louis began to smirk; it hadn’t been the kind of victory he had wanted but it was a victory nonetheless. Harry needed to know he couldn’t speak to Louis like that and get away with it.  
“What? But…” Harry gasped.  
“In the back. Now.” Nick butted in, not allowing Harry to protest. He shot a quick glance in Louis’ direction, his eyes cold and filled with anger and then he vanished into the back without so much as a word.  
“Louis, I’m sorry about that. He’s not from around here. He’s having a rough time and I am just trying to help him out, give him a place to stay and the chance to earn some money”. Nick mumbled, clearly intimidated by Louis’ presence.  
“You need to have words with that boy, Grimshaw. Tell him to watch his mouth. If I have to come back and speak to him again, I won’t be very happy.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:  
Louis hadn’t heard any more tales about the Harry boy; so he found that he had no reason to go and see him again, it was disappointing and Louis had no idea why. By Saturday night Louis realised not a single day had passed without at least one thought of that curly haired boy; he found himself picturing Harry’s body underneath those clothes, imagining what it would be like to grab hold of those curls as Harry wrapped his pink lips around Louis’ dick. To take his mind off things he had invited some of the football lads out to the pub; it was only 10pm and Louis was already on his way to being drunk, he had also managed to be out for two hours and not had to pay for a single drink.  
“Tell ya what boys, United where shocking yesterday! It was painful to watch”. Louis piped up. “To be honest they should have me playing for them… I’ll teach them a thing or two”.  
“Get your dad on the phone to them” Josh replied. For some reason, his comment hit a nerve. Louis didn’t need his dad to get him a place on any team; he just so happened to be a skilled footballer and could easily play for any team he wanted if he tried out, he just didn’t want to. The lads could sense Louis’ was a bit off tonight, so they moved on from that conversation and decided to talk about women. They thought that was a safe bet. Ha.  
“I’m just nippin’ the toilet, lads”. Louis excused himself, doing his very best to avoid getting dragged in to the discussion. He pushed his way through the crowd of people and pulled out his phone. Two texts from Katherine. SMACK. Louis collided with someone just as he turned the corner; he stumbled backwards and cast his eyes up to find Harry staring back at him. The two of them stood in silence for a few seconds, both too stubborn to offer an apology. Louis shifted Harry out of the way and made his way in to the bathroom, with a pair of footsteps following closely behind him. He leaned over the sinks and caught Harry’s reflection stood behind him, “That was really shitty of you yanno? What you did the other day…”  
“Oh hang on a sec, let me just find a fuck to give”  
“You’re a real arsehole”. Harry muttered, his big green eyes staring down at the ground. Louis noticed the sadness that was swimming in them and a part of him was feeling slightly guilty. “I didn’t mean to make Katherine feel like that. I was just scared of getting in trouble on my first shift” he carried on, “and I knew Nick liked her, so I didn’t think she’d get in trouble for it… It’s just that, I have a lot riding on this job. If I don’t have money coming in I’m screwed…”  
“Like I said, Harry, I couldn’t give a fuck. You do it again and I will make sure you lose that job. I don’t want to hear your life story or your problems. I’m not a fucking psychiatrist”. Louis enjoyed watching the way Harry’s eyes narrowed on him when he was starting to get mad, he felt like he should push further to see if he would react.  
“Fine. Just thought if I explained then maybe you’d back off…”  
“Back off? I haven’t said anything to you since, have I? Count yourself lucky”.  
“Lucky? Oh yeah, I’m really lucky that my best friend, who is also my boss, is mad at me because of some jackass wannabe getting on his case”. Harry snapped, poking a finger in to Louis’ chest. This boy wasn’t anything like Louis had expected him to be; he was a feisty little fucker and he kind of liked it.  
“Louis ‘jackass wannabe’ Tomlinson to you”. Louis grinned, he didn’t mean to but it was too late now, he couldn’t take it back. Harry had noticed; he crinkled his forehead, obviously confused by the whole situation.  
“Are you toying with me or something? I don’t get what’s happening here…”  
“How badly do you want to keep your job?” Louis asked, imagining what it would be like to blackmail Harry in to satisfying his every need. He started to picture himself leading Harry in to the cubicle by his hair, throwing him against the wall and then watching him drop to his knees; taking Louis in his mouth and obeying his every command. He wanted to feel those lips around his cock; he wanted to force his way so far in to Harry’s mouth that he could feel the back of his throat and most of all he wanted to let himself come undone in to Harry’s mouth. Louis could feel his jeans tightening around his crotch even at the thought.  
“What?” Harry’s voice rumbled through Louis’ mind; cutting through his thoughts like a knife.  
“Nevermind. I’m gonna go now, Harry. Was a pleasure bumping into you tonight” Louis made his way into one of the cubicles and shut the door behind him, feeling uncomfortable of the fact that Harry hadn’t yet left the bathroom. After Louis had finished he made his way back out to see Harry still stood by the sinks; his eyes were glistening, almost as if he was about to cry. A part of Louis wanted to ask what was wrong but it would be a very risky game if he were to befriend this boy. He opened the door to leave when Harry called after him, “Can I come and sit with you? Just until I finish my drink?” his voice sounded so small compared to previous times and it tugged at Louis’ heart strings. He knew that it would be a bad idea; he had always made sure to surround himself with men whom he wasn’t physically attracted to. Harry definitely didn’t fit in to that category; all Louis wanted to do was have complete control of this boy and his body.  
“Why?”  
“Just tired of being alone, that’s all” he mumbled, dragging one of his feet back and forth along the tiled floor. Cute little fucker. How could Louis say no to that? Yeah, he was an arsehole but he wasn’t completely heartless.  
“I’d rather you didn’t”. Louis replied, trying his best to resist Harry’s boyish charm. He looked at hurt at Louis’ reply but not shocked; he ran his fingers through his curls and nodded his head to show he understood. As he made his way past Louis and out in to the hall; Louis found himself clinging on to Harry’s wrist, holding him into place.  
“Don’t” he whispered. Hearing him plead drove Louis insane; that is what he wanted from the very beginning, he had wanted to control Harry, he wanted him to be scared.  
“One drink”. 

“Last call” the bartender shouted across the room. Harry and Louis were the only two left in the pub; they had got to talking and couldn’t seem to stop. Louis had learnt a lot about Harry in the past few hours; he had one older sister named, Gemma and he was a right mummy’s boy. His ambition was to one day become a world wide travel blogger; he wanted to explore everything the earth had to offer him and he wanted to experience all the different cultures. Harry had lived up North all of his life but decided it was time to move away for a fresh start and Nick had offered him his spare bedroom and a job so he couldn’t turn the opportunity down. Louis had noticed how Harry had tensed up when he had asked why he wanted to move away but decided not to press the matter; it had been such a long time since he enjoyed someone else’s company so much and he didn’t want to blow it. To be honest it had been a while since Louis genuinely believed someone wanted to spend time with him for him and not who he’s father was.  
“I guess we should get going. The guy behind the bar looks as though he’s going to kill us if we don’t let him close up” Harry chuckled, downing the rest of his vodka orange.  
“Nah, he wouldn’t dare. Besides, it’s only 1 o’ clock” Louis replied, gently tapping his bottle of Corona against Harry’s glass. Everything was hazy; the alcohol was cursing through Louis’ veins but he could tell something was different when he was with Harry. A part of him wanted to scoop Harry up in to his arms and cradle him to sleep like a little lost kitten and yet another part of him wanted to spread him across his bed and thrust himself so deep into Harry that it brought tears to his eyes.  
“You coming?” Harry asked and ugh, his voice was like smooth, creamy chocolate.  
“Huh?”  
“We need to go, Louis. Come on”. Harry got to his feet and tugged on Louis’ arm to encourage him out of the bar. They made their way outside in to the brisk autumn air and Louis sparked up a cigarette; he leaned back against the wall and flashed Harry a cheeky grin, “Where to next?”  
“I don’t think anywhere will let us in at this time. It’s too late and you’re too drunk”.  
“I am not! I’m merry… There’s a difference” Louis stated, flicking half a cigarette on the floor and approaching Harry. “Come back to mine? We can have some more drinks there…” No. Louis. NO! Once it was out there Louis felt a rush of panic, something he hadn’t experienced in a long time. He waited for Harry’s reaction, torn between wanting him to say yes and needing him to say no.  
“Erm, okay”.  
NO.  
“Great. I hope you like beer though; I don’t keep vodka in my fridge. We’ve had a falling out”.  
“Ahh, I understand. I’ve fallen out with vodka several times; I just can’t seem to stay mad at her”. Harry played along, a little smile appearing on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

Louis lead Harry through the front door, glancing around anxiously to make sure nobody was about. He had brought his friends home many times before but this time it felt different, like he had to hide it. Harry wandered around the front room, picking up ornaments off the mantle piece and studying them; his eyes widened at the sight of the 52" plasma nestled in the middle of the room. "Are you loaded or something?" he asked, crouching down and counting through his games consoles.  
"Ha, no. Far from it. Want a drink?" Louis replied, making his way into the kitchen. Harry followed closely behind him, oohing and ahhing as he looked into each room. It was kinda adorable.  
"You got anything besides beer?"  
"Ummm, I think I have some Jack Daniels?"  
"And coke?" Harry said, loitering behind him and peering into the fridge. Louis grabbed a bottle of coke from the side and thrust it into Harry's arms; he beamed back at him and took a seat at the breakfast bar, glancing around the room. Louis reached up to grab two glasses and placed them in front of Harry; he took a seat opposite him and began to pour the Jack Daniels into the glasses.  
"You're having the same?" a hint of excitement in his voice. Louis didn't reply, what an obvious question. He's pouring TWO glasses of Jack Daniels so of course he's drinking the same thing. The strange thing was; Louis never misses the opportunity to make a sarcastic comment but there was a certain innocence to Harry that he didn't want to shatter.  
"I wish I lived in a place like this, what is it you do?"  
"I'm a football coach. My dad's the mayor of this town, so he bought me this place when I turned 18. It was a bonus birthday present".  
"Oh. I got a new Ipod for my eighteenth. I remember dropping my first one in the bath so mum promised to get me a new one for my birthday. She got me the purple one too, which was my favourite. I've got like 1500 songs on it". Harry explained, a smile spreading across his face at the mention of his mum. "That was a great birthday. Eighteen was such a cool age, although I can't really remember much of my party but I guess that's how you know it was a good night, huh?"  
"Yeah! My eighteenth was fucking immense; dad hired this nightclub in London and invited like 200 people and I swear to you Frank Lampard and John Terry turned up for a bit; I was fuckin' starstruck... After that I don't remember much myself, but it's mad to think that was five years ago. I feel so old. Do you ever feel like life's just passin' you by? I feel like I blinked and missed those five years and it pisses me off that I'm still in this town, like I always imagined I'd have my own place in London and I'd be playing for a proper football team. You know?"  
Fuck. Louis has never been so open with anyone like that before; especially not someone who he had only just met but Harry made him feel comfortable and he wasn't even sure why. Harry didn't say anything for a little while, he carried on sipping his drink and looking around the room; Louis got the feeling he didn't want to share his feelings but he wanted to know more about him, so he pushed matter further. "What about you then? What did you imagine you'd be doing?"  
Still no reply. Louis watched him; the way he twirled his ring around his finger and the way he bit down on to his lip, nervously.  
"Well," Harry sighed, "I guess I had always dreamt of being a travel blogger... See the world, take photos and write about it... I just think there's so much more out there and we only have a lifetime to see it all".  
"You say that like it's not a long time?"  
"Like you said, you blink and miss it. I've just turned 20 and I've only ever been to Spain and that was when I was eight. I love England, I really do but I just want to get away sometimes".  
"Away from what?" Louis asked, he knew he was prying way too much but there was something odd about the way he said it.  
"Real life". Harry shrugged his shoulders, questioning his own answer. He took another sip of his drink and cast his eyes up towards Louis; their eyes connecting with one another. There was a sadness in those green eyes that Louis couldn't get out of his mind; what was he hiding? "Can you show me around the rest of this place then?"  
Hmm, subject change. Even more suspicious.  
"Sure".

 

"This place is huge, Lou".  
Lou. He liked that.  
"You live here on your own? Why do you even need four bedrooms?" Harry quizzed him, throwing himself down on to one of the double beds.  
"I dunno. Just in case".  
"In case of what?"  
"I dunno, Harry. What's with all the questions?" Louis bounced down beside him, staring up at the ceiling. It was strange how comfortable Louis felt lying beside Harry; it felt natural. Harry turned on to his side, facing Louis and he propped himself up with his elbows. "You just seem unhappy with everything. You have this big house, a girlfriend, lots of money and... I dunno... I shouldn't have said anything".

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Don't act like you know me... So I enjoy having a good moan about things, doesn't mean I don't appreciate what I have. I _know_ that I'm lucky".  
"Sorry I said anything".  
"You should be. How about I analyse your life, huh? Hmm, I think you're somebody who gets by on his looks and pretends his had a shit upbringing when really he was mummy's little boy who got his own way all of the fuckin' time!" Louis snapped, getting to his feet and storming around the room. Why had he brought this boy back? Why had he opened up to him? Harry stared up at him, his big green eyes full of sadness; he also got up from the bed and made his way to the door. He left the room without looking back and Louis wanted to follow him; he desperately wanted to follow him. He wanted him to stay and that's why he had to let him go.  
Louis woke up on the couch; his head pounding from the night before and his eyes sensitive to the light. The sun peered through the blinds, directly onto his face and he was pissed that he had to sit up to move out of its way. He glanced down at his phone; 4 missed calls and 11 texts from Katherine. The sound of his front door unlocking was enough to startle him onto his feet, he turned around to see Katherine waltzing in with a big smile on her face. Until she saw the state of Louis. "What the hell happened to you? You look like shit".  
"Thanks. I went out with the lads didn't i? Drank a bit too much".  
Katherine approached him, her hazel eyes burning into his with a hint of suspicion, " They said they went home at 11 and you were fine?"  
"Yeah, I had a night cap. Sue me".  
"With Harry?"  
Shit. He wasn't sure how to play this, should he lie or admit it? Lying always came much easier to him, so he went with that one.  
"Who?"  
"Don't try that one, Louis".  
"But I don't know what you're talking about. Who's Harry?"  
"Curly haired pretty boy? Works at my shop? You threatened him?"  
"Why the hell would I be with him?"  
Okay, Louis wishes he had just told the truth. Yeah, I got talk to him and he's actually a decent guy. That wouldn't have sounded so bad, but now he was stuck in this situation, knowing if he did admit it eventually then it would look suspicious and then Katherine would ask more questions.  
"Why are you lying? Listen, if you wanna be his friend. Fine. We haven't had an argument since, so it's fine. You don't need to hide it from me".  
Oh, that was easy.  
"Okay, yes. I had a couple of drinks with Harry afterwards but, erm, I didn't really wanna say. I didn't want you to, um, be hurt because you don't like him and he was a dick to you".   
"Louis, that's so sweet!" she beamed, throwing her arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his lips. He flinched at her touch; something he had managed to get under control recently. "I'm going to treat you for that, babe. You deserve it". She pushed Louis back on to the couch and climbed on top of him, slowly sliding her hands down his stomach and to the elastic of his joggers. Louis closed his eyes; he tried to think about something else as she wrapped her fingers around his cock and massaged it ever so slowly.  
"You don't have to..." he whispered, hoping she would stop. Katherine giggled, "I _want_ to silly" she slid back on to the floor and pulled his joggers down, setting him free. He wasn't hard. He couldn't.  
"Looks like little Louis is feeling a bit rough today too, huh? Don't worry, I'll wake him up". her lips trailed along his thighs, gradually working their way up to his cock and just as she wrapped her mouth around him he couldn't take anymore. He pushed her away. Katherine glanced up at him, confusion and hurt all rolled into one. He was usually so good at pretending; he could usually handle it but not today, the thought of her touching him made him sick.  
"I'm sorry, Kathy. I'm just feeling a bit shitty today". he apologised, getting to his feet and pulling up his joggers. Before she had the chance to reply, he made his way to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Louis turned on the shower and stepped in to the stream of hot water; his thoughts filled with Harry fucking Styles. He took hold of himself, slowly pumping his hand up and down his shaft, imagining his hands tangled up in Harry's curly hair as he took all of him into his mouth. Louis worked himself up, faster and faster, Harry's plump pink lips etched into his mind and with those thoughts he allowed himself to come. What a pathetic mess he was turning out to be.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Louis got out the shower Katherine had gone. He threw on some jeans and a baggy jumper and made his way to his car; deciding he would pop into see his mum for a little bit. He tried to avoid his parents as much as possible; the fact that they knew the truth about him made him feel uneasy and disgusted with himself. If they wouldn't accept him then nobody would.  
"Baby. Come in". his mother said, smiling from ear to ear at the sight of her only child. She pulled him into a tight embrace and kissed him on the cheek before leading him through into the kitchen and putting the kettle on.  
"So how have you been? How's dad?" Louis asked, although he didn't really care.  
"Yes, he's good. Great. Keeps asking why you haven't been around". she sighed, pouring the water into the two cups. Louis smiled at the sight of his superman mug, it was one he'd had from the age of eight; a Christmas present from his grandmother, he's favourite person in the whole world. Ugh, he missed her.  
"I've been busy mum. With work and stuff".  
"Stuff? You can never be too busy for your parents, Boobear. We've missed you around here".  
"Mum. Stop with the nickname".  
"Okay, okay" she placed his tea on the table and took a seat opposite him. " How's Katherine? You two should come for tea next week. You know how fond we are of her, be nice to see her again".  
And this was why he hated coming home. Always with the constant questions about Katherine and girls, almost as if the fact he was gay had just vanished. He hated that he had to play along with this charade, day in, day out but he couldn't face the looks of disappointment and disgust he would get from his parents if he dared to bring it up.  
"Yeah, she's great. Got a couple of exams next week though so don't think we'd be able to make it".  
"For dinner? Come on, Louis. You'd only be here for a couple of hours, I'm sure you can manage that. Your dad wants to see you". she protested, reaching out and grabbing hold of his hand. Louis pulled away without even thinking about it; he shot a quick glance up at his mum and then took a sip of his tea. The two of them sat in silence for a little while; Louis couldn't think of anything to say. He wanted to be able to come home and tell his mum how he'd met the most beautiful boy on the planet and how he'd already fucked things up between them. He wanted her to comfort him.  
"I'm gonna go. I'll ask Katherine about dinner".  
"Oh thank you, baby", her face lit up. Louis stood up and gave his mum a hug, then he made his way to the door and clambered into his car as quickly as possible. He needed to find Harry. He needed to apologise. Louis started his car and made his way over to Nick's shop; that was the only place he could think of finding Harry. As he made his way inside, his eyes immediately locked on to Harry hanging up some t-shirts on the rails. He seemed to be in his own little world, mouthing along to the Destiny's Child song that was on in the background. Louis watched him for a little while; too scared to approach him. He couldn't remember the last time he ever said sorry and come to think of it, he wasn't even sure how to do it. Crap. He was starting to get really anxious, his palms began to sweat. He couldn't do it. As he turned to face the door he heard that familiar silky smooth voice trail behind him, "Louis?"  
"Oh, Harry. Hi". Louis replied, an element of surprise to his tone.  
"Why are you surprised to see me? You do know I work here right?" Harry chuckled, obviously he had completely forgotten about the way Louis had treated him the night before. This was good. This meant he didn't need to apologise.  
"Well, yeah.. I, uh... Just wanted to check that you hadn't been murdered on your way home last night".  
"Well that's really kind of you, Lou. As you can see, I'm alive and kicking".  
"That's good to know. Okay. I'll, uh, I'll leave you to it. Get some work done and stuff". Louis nodded his head as a goodbye and made his way towards the door; he noticed footsteps behind him. Harry was following him. Why was he following him? His hand gently grabbed ahold of Louis' shoulder, the two of them froze.  
"Lou? I'm sorry... About last night. I shouldn't have... I was a bit drunk and I don't think before I speak sometimes..."  
 _He_ was apologising? God bless the curly haired little shit. Louis felt bad. He really did but he let him apologise and he accepted it gracefully, before turning around and leaving the shop.

Katherine hadn't called all day, it was now 5.30pm and he was sick of waiting around for her to come back. It was Sunday and the good thing was, he only had to work at 5pm on a Monday so he could go out for a couple of pints. Just a couple. Instead of texting the football boys; he drove back over to Nick's shop and was happy to see Harry was still inside. His little face brightened at the sight of Louis walking in; the two of them approaching one another with dorky smiles on their faces.  
"Can I help you, sir?" Harry teased, resuming his job of counting up all the cash in his float.  
"I'm looking for an outfit, I wanna take my friend out for drinks tonight. As a kind of apology. It's nothing too formal, just some casual drinks... What would you suggest?" Louis played along, eyeing up a pair of denim hotpants in the womens section and holding them up against him. Harry chuckled and started shaking his head, "No, no, no. Too slutty, sir. If this is just a casual occasion I would opt for some chinos and a shirt, maybe a sky blue one. To match your eyes".  
"Ahh, of course. I wouldn't want to come across as if I'm trying too hard. Truth is, I don't even like this friend but I pity him, ya see? He just looks like a right loser, so I don't wanna make him feel bad by looking ridiculously hot".  
Harry couldn't stop smiling, he came out from behind the till and made his way over to Louis, leaning across him and pulling out a maroon sweater. He held it up against Louis chest and slid his hand onto his waist, holding the sweater in place. He was so close. Louis could feel his breath on his face.  
"How about this one then, _sir_ ?"  
"Uhm, yeah. That's nice. I trust your judgement". Louis pulled his t-shirt over his head, he could feel Harry's eyes on his torso as he changed into the sweater right in front of him.  
"Lovely. Although, you should probably ask your friend if he wants to go for drinks with you. No point going to all this effort if he says no, right?"  
"I've asked him, he's already said yeah". Louis teased, enjoying the disappointment that spread across Harry's face. He pinched Harry's arm playfully, "I'm joking with you curls, calm down. Drinks?"  
"I'll have to check my diary".  
"Yes or no? I'm not one for waiting. I'll just ask someone else..."  
"Yeah, okay". Harry replied, hurriedly. Obviously afraid that Louis was being serious. He liked that about him, he liked the fact Harry didn't know how to take him and wasn't sure whether he was joking or not. It was endearing.  
"Good. I'll pick you up at 7 so be ready".  
Louis ended up buying the sweater; he had only been joking when he was on about a new outfit, he had plenty but somehow he'd walked out of the store with a new sweater and a date. Fuck, no. Not a date. Louis found himself messing with his hair for a good fifteen minutes; he had sprayed that much hair product that he was sure his lungs were about to burst. His hair just wasn't playing ball tonight; it looked stupid but it was 6:55pm and he _had_ to set off, he couldn't leave Harry sitting there alone. He grabbed a hoodie from the bottom of his wardrobe and made his way out the door and into his car. For some reason his heart was racing the whole drive there; when he pulled up outside the bar he spotted Harry almost immediately. He was playing on his phone, dressed in all black and fuck he looked good. Louis climbed out of his car as quietly as possible and crept up beside Harry. He grabbed onto his hair and pulled his head back, "Give me all your money" Louis hissed into his ear.  
"Shit, Lou. Don't do that!"  
"Sorry, couldn't resist".  


The two of them made their way inside, Louis had chosen a little place outside of the town, it was a bar he had been to many of times when he was feeling low and needed to escape his fake life. Louis gestured for Harry to take a seat in the corner by the open fire; he made his way over to the bar to order a vodka orange and a corona and when he turned back towards the table he was surprised to see another guy had taken Louis' seat and was chatting to Harry. Obviously Harry was a beautiful, perfectly sculptured young man and Louis couldn't blame other people for wanting a slice but this was not going to happen on his watch.  
"Can I help you?" Louis interrupted. As the guy turned around Louis was relieved to see the one and only, Liam Payne, his high school best friend. The two of them wrapped their arms around each other, beaming from ear to ear at the sight of one another.  
"Aww man, I can't believe it's you! What you doing back? It's been, what? 3 years?" Louis said, grabbing another stool so that Liam could join them.  
"Yeah, it's been a while! I thought I saw you come in here with this fine specimen of man and thought I'd tease you a little bit, I know how jealous you get". Liam chuckled, patting Louis' arm. "Is this your boyfriend then?"  
Oh crap. Louis had forgotten about the fact Liam knew all about his sexuality. Back in high school Louis and Liam had been inseparable; the fact that Liam had been openly gay made him feel so much more at ease, like he could be himself. The down side was; Louis had never told him about what his parents had said because he didn't want to offend him. Here they were three years later and Louis had no idea how he was going to explain to Liam, the fact that he was now kinda straight and in a relationship with a girl.  
"No, no. Not my boyfriend. This is Harry, he's just a friend". Louis looked over at Harry, he was baffled by the way this conversation was turning out.  
"I bet you wish he was your boyfriend though" Liam nudged Louis' arm and shot a wink over in Harry's direction, "Believe it or not, I'm all settled down and stuff now. His name is Zayn, met him at university. Honestly, Louis you wouldn't believe it if you saw him. He's so pretty, I can't believe he's giving me the time of day".  
"Aww, Li. Don't say that! He's lucky to have you! Want me to get you a drink?"  
"Nah, I'll leave you guys to it. But umm, I'm in town for a couple of weeks so if you're free, you should drop me a text. Here's my number". Liam handed him a small business card. A journalist? Louis couldn't imagine him chasing celebrities and writing gossip columns; he'd always imagined Liam as a police officer or a fireman. "It was nice to meet you, Harry. Louis, I'll speak to you soon mate".  
Harry was watching Louis; he could feel his eyes on him as he took a sip of his corona. Damn Liam for asking that question, now things were going to be majorly awkward between them. He couldn't let Harry know he was gay, he didn't even know him so how could he be sure he could trust him with something like that?  
"He seems nice" Harry piped up, offering a friendly smile.  
"Yeah. Yeah, he is".  
"Tried explaining to him that I was _way_ out of your league and you couldn't pull a guy like me even if you tried your hardest". God bless Harry Styles, he's too sweet to even ask any uncomfortable questions; Louis really appreciated it but he couldn't let him get away with that cheeky little statement.  
"Listen, Harry. I'll have you know, if I wanted you, I could have you. You haven't seen my charm offensive; it's hard to resist. Luckily for you, you're not my type. I'm not interested, pretty boy!". Louis wiggled his bottle of beer in Harry's face, he swatted it away and pulled his tongue out, like a big child. It was the cutest thing Louis had ever seen.  
As the night went on, the two of them became more comfortable in each other's company. They spent the night chatting about music, films and their ambitions; they played a couple of games of pool and Louis drank _way_ too much. It got to 1am and the bar was ready for closing; the two of them made their way outside and Louis started fumbling for his car keys.  
"Hey!" Harry yelled, wrestling Louis against the car and snatching the keys out of his hand. "No way. You're not driving in that state". Louis refused to accept that he was drunk; he grabbed hold of Harry's wrists and spun him around, pressing his body up against the cold metal of his Audi. "No, Lou! Get off"  
"Am fiiiiiine, Harreh. Come on, man. I can still drive it".  
"Please, Lou. Just let me drive it. I'll be careful with it, I promise" Harry pleaded, putting on his best puppy dog face. The two of them were frozen into place for a little while; just holding on to one another, their eyes locked, neither of them able to look away. Louis could feel Harry's breath on his face; it smelled like orange juice and the gentle warmth was incredibly soothing. "You, uhm, you gonna let me then, Lou?"  
"Only if you stay tonight. I'm gonna need lookin' after. I feel sick". NO! What was he doing? This was a bad idea and yet his heart was racing and his stomach was doing somersaults like an excited little kid.  
"Okay" Harry replied, pulling open the passenger door and giving Louis a gentle push, urging him to clamber inside. When the two of them were eventually in the car, Harry had to lean over and put Louis' seat belt on, he felt as though he was babysitting but a part of him enjoyed it. Louis fiddled with the radio the whole drive home, settling on a Kings of Leon number and singing at the top of his voice. Harry pulled up into Louis' drive and got out the car, rushing over to the other side to help Louis out. He wrapped his arm around Louis' tiny waist and walked him inside, making sure to lock the door behind them. Louis stumbled into the front room and dove onto the couch, miscalculating the jump he ended up rolling off the edge and banging his head on the floor. Oreo bounded into the front room at the sound of Louis' voice; he jumped on to his face and bombarded him with kisses. "No, Oreo! GERROFFF. NOOO! HELP ME HARRYYYY! HELP MEEEEE!" Louis yelled, unable to contain his laughter. Harry joined in, pouncing on top of Louis legs and tickling his ribs, enjoying each giggle that burst out of Louis' mouth. "Stopppppp, Harold. No! I can't- I can't breathe!" he wriggled his legs underneath Harry's weight, desperate to escape his clutches. Oreo soon got bored and waddled off into the kitchen, which meant Louis could put up a much better fight now without the risk of hurting his dog. He bucked up his hips, pushing Harry backwards and down to his feet and then he sat upright, wrapping his hands around Harry's waist and rolling him over so that he was on top.  
"Ha! Not so fun now is it? Hmmm?" Louis chuckled, pinning Harry's arms up above his head and squashed their noses together. They were so close, their lips almost touching and it drove Louis insane, all he wanted was to taste him; every last bit of him but he knew he couldn't.  
"You, uhm, want a drink?" Louis asked, stumbling up onto his feet and leaving Harry sprawled across the floor. He nodded in agreement and pulled himself up, following Louis into the kitchen and taking a seat at the breakfast bar. Louis pulled out the jack daniels and grabbed a glass; his hands were shaking as he tried to pour it, splashing the alcohol all over the counter and onto the floor. Harry jumped up and took the bottle out of Louis' hand, "I think we should get you to bed. No more drinks for you".  
"I wasn't gonna drink actually! I'm tired, just need some sleep"  
"Come on then". Harry guided him into the bedroom and pushed him backwards onto the bed. Louis attempted to get his belt undone and after several minutes of struggling Harry eventually leaned over him and unclipped the belt, but instead of leaving it at that he carried on to undress him; sliding his jeans down and then pulling his t-shirt over his head. "Have you got any pyjamas?" Harry asked, opening up one of the wardrobes.  
"I sleep naked baby!" Louis laughed to himself, threatening to pull his boxers down.  
"Okay, sleep however you like, Lou. Goodnight" Harry approached the bed and stroked Louis' head before turning to leave the room. He hadn't got very far when he felt Louis' fingers grab onto his forearm.  
"No, Harold. Stay? Just keep me company till I fall asleep or somethin'. What if I throw up in me sleep and.. and die?"  
"Oh don't be so dramatic. I'll stay for a little bit. Budge over then!" Harry ordered, squeezing in under the duvet. It was nice to feel his warmth and watch how his curls fell onto the pillow beside him; without thinking Louis curled into him, placing his head onto Harry's chest and feeling the rise and fall with every breath. Louis almost stopped breathing when Harry opened up to his touch; wrapping his arm around Louis and pulling his closer. Their bodies slotted together perfectly; like two puzzle pieces.  
"You're cuddly when you're drunk".  
Louis didn't reply, what was he even doing? He can't remember the last time he had _ever_ wanted someone's touch so desperately and it had been such a long time since he had felt so comfortable around another human being, especially another guy.  
"I like being around you, Lou. I feel like... like you're nice to me without expecting anything in return. I've never had that before..." he trailed off, his voice was so quiet and small. Louis gazed up at him; wanting to say something in return; wanting to tell Harry how much he enjoyed his company and how he felt like he had known him his whole life. Instead of saying anything, he nuzzled into Harry even more and closed his eyes, unable to keep them open for any longer. He could have sworn the last words he heard before he had drifted off into the subconscious were, 'Please don't hurt me, Lou' but the alcohol running through his body overpowered him and he soon forgot about it as he fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Louis woke up to find himself tangled up in between a pair of long legs; brown curly hair tickled his nose and a sweet smell of watermelon filled his nostrils. A surge of panic ran through his body; he jumped up from the bed, startling Harry in the process. The two of them stared at each other for a moment; Louis tried to find something to say, anything but his voice failed him.  
"I... I-uhm, I fell asleep. I'm sorry". Harry piped up, brushing his hair back off his face. Damn he looked so good in a morning and his voice was so deep and slow, it rumbled through Louis' ears like a beating drum.  
"It's okay, just freaked out a little... Can't really remember much from last night and wasn't sure who was lying next to me".  
"You do that often?"  
"What?"  
"Wake up next to strangers". Harry smiled, playfully. His cute little dimples making an appearance.  
"Ha ha! No. I'm a faithful guy. Do you want a cup of tea?"  
"Yes, please".  
Louis dived back onto the bed, kicking at Harry with his feet and causing him to stumble off the edge, "Go on then, make us one why you're there. No sugar". Harry turned back to look at him, his eyes narrowed as he grabbed hold of Louis' ankles and dragged him down the bed.  
"Not a chance! I'm your guest, you make _me_ a drink."  
"This is an outrage, I'm ill-"  
"Hungover" Harry interjected.  
"Same thing. As I was saying... I'm _ill_ and my so called _friend_ won't even make me a cup of tea."  
"Fine". Harry said, slapping Louis' leg. "But you owe me".

It was so strange; Louis had spent the full day with a smile on his face and yet, Katherine hadn't spoken to him for over 24 hours now. Harry had gone home just before 11 to make sure he got to work on time and Louis had spent the rest of the day working out, ready for training tonight. When he turned up at the football pitch, the kids were really excited to see him and surrounded him as he made his way to the changing rooms. They bombarded him with questions about football and the team, but Louis was happy to answer them, he loved their enthusiasm, even when it was pouring it down with rain.  
"Okay guys, we're going to start with a 15 minute warm up. Do some stretches and a couple of laps on the field, then we'll have a 6 vs 6 match and get some practice in. Don't forget the league starts again next week and our aim is to at _least_ get into the final this time. Okay guys?"  
"YES COACH" they yelled in unison and Louis lead them outside, starting the boys off with a couple of stretches. The boys were particularly well behaved tonight; they threw themselves into the practice match and listened to every word of advice Louis had to give. When time was up Louis took the boys back towards the changing rooms but he noticed Katherine stood up in the stalls, smiling down at him.  
"Go on in, boys. But don't run off just yet, got a few things to say before you go". Louis made his way up to Katherine, who was sat down on one of the benches. She glanced up at him, tears in her eyes.  
"Why didn't you call me, Louis?"  
"Why didn't you call _me_ ? You're the one who stormed out without so much as a goodbye. I wasn't gonna chase after you, Kathy. I didn't do anything wrong".  
"I don't know what's with you recently, you're different. You just seem so distant and you've never pushed me away from you before, do you know how much that hurt? Knowing your own boyfriend doesn't want you?" she sighed, almost as if she was breathing out all of her problems.  
"Jesus, Kathy. Don't take it to heart. I'm not gonna be in the mood every fuckin' day am I? If that had been you, it would be a completely different story. Just cos I'm a guy doesn't mean I'm _always_ up for it. I have to go anyway, the boys are waiting for me". Louis got up to his feet, a part of him felt guilty as he walked away and left her sat there alone but when he really thought about it; the truth was, he didn't really care. He wandered into the changing rooms to find the boys all sat around waiting for him; he was so proud of those boys. "Lads, you were great tonight. If you play like that next week and the week after and the week after, we'll storm through the league! It was nice to see you sharing the ball and communicating with one another! So I'll see you lads at training again on Wednesday. Go on, get yourselves home and thanks for tonight boys!".

  
When Louis got home Katherine was waiting for him; she was curled up on the couch with Oreo on her knee. She had been crying.  
"Hi" he said, unsure what else to say. He threw his training bag into the corner and pulled his phone out of his pocket, he had a text from Harry.  
'Hi Lou, how was training? Had a crappy day at work, was wondering if u wanted 2 get some dinner 2nite? Need cheering up. My treat? x' Louis couldn't hide the smile on his face as he typed out his reply, 'Hi curls, yeh sounds gd. Gotta sort out some stuff, but I'll come pick u up after 8? No drinking 4 me 2nite. Don't let me.' he debated adding a kiss on the end, but decided against it in the end.  
"Who was that?" Katherine asked, pointing towards Louis' phone.  
"Erm, it was Liam. One of my old mates from school. He's back in town and wants to go for a drink... He's not here long, so I'm, um, I'm gonna go".  
"Oh. So, you're gonna leave me here? Like this?" her tone was sharp. Louis shrugged his shoulders; he wasn't in the mood for an argument, he'd had such a good day and he wasn't going to let Katherine ruin it. Harry needed him, so he had to go.  
"It's not like that, Kathy. I'm not in the mood for an argument, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings but I'm done explaining myself. You can stay here tonight, I won't be back late... We can talk then if you like?"  
"What, when you're drunk? No thanks. I'll go, you obviously don't want me here" Katherine jumped to her feet and put her coat on, she stormed past Louis without even looking at him and slammed the door as she went out. Louis had no idea what he was doing, his life had changed so much. A week ago he was learning to deal with his fake relationship and now here he was, chasing after a boy he'd only just met, who could well be straight. Harry was going to ruin everything but the strange thing was, Louis wanted him to. He got a quick shower and picked an outfit, he wasn't sure where they would be going for dinner so he opted for dark jeans and a white shirt. It was almost 8pm and although everybody knew Louis was _always_ late, he didn't want to be this time. He rushed down into his car and sent a quick text to Harry, 'Address pls?'  
A reply came through within seconds, 'Flat 4a, Makerfield Road x' It was only a few minutes down the road so he managed to pull up just after 8, when he pressed the buzzer Nick's voice echoed through the speaker, "Hello?"  
"It's Louis. Louis Tomlinson. Send Harry down" Within a couple of seconds Harry was emerging from the door with a dorky grin on his face; he looked different tonight. He was wearing the same old skinny jeans but was wearing a blue shirt with little, white love hearts dotted all over the place, it was adorable.  
"Evening, Lou"  
"Evening, Harold. Where we going then?"  
"Well, you know the place better than me so any suggestions? I really want a burger".  
"McDonalds". Louis replied, shielding his face as Harry threw a playful slap towards him. Louis found himself opening the door for Harry to climb in; he chuckled to himself as he struggled to fit his long limbs into the Audi's small passenger seat but soon stopped when he was shot a dirty look. The two of them made their way to a small restaurant outside of town; Louis had never been here before but his parents were always banging on about it. They were seated almost immediately at a small table tucked away in the corner; it was rather busy but it still felt as though they had some privacy; Louis ordered two champagne cocktails and then passed a menu to Harry.   
"Ooh champagne cocktails, huh? You trying to impress me or have you done something wrong?" his eyes flicked up from the menu and he glanced over at Louis, who was pretending to be hurt by his comment. He covered his face and whimpered, dramatising the situation. Harry reached out and grabbed his arms, trying to pull them away from his face. "Shhh, you idiot. People are looking!" he giggled ( the sound was like music to Louis' ears).   
"Idiot? Pfft, you are pushing your luck tonight, Harold. If you carry on I'll be jumping out the bathroom window and leaving you with the bill!"   
"Well this place looks pricey so I think I'll be washing dishes for about a year to pay it off".   
"I wouldn't do that to ya, Stylesy boy. So go on then, what's up?" Louis asked, taking a sip of his drink and keeping his eyes on Harry, who was now fiddling with the ring on his middle finger. He always got so nervous whenever Louis tried to discuss a personal matter with him and he couldn't figure out why. "Okay, well let's order some food and then you can tell me".   
"I already know what I want, so hurry up! I'm starving".   
"You're proper cheeky tonight. I won't stand for it much longer". Louis wiggled his finger in Harry's face, he snapped his teeth at it playfully and the two of them smiled. It was nice, Louis felt so at ease with Harry and the fact that he was incredibly beautiful made things even better. Louis studied him as he ordered their food, the way his eyes would flicker back to the menu every couple of seconds, the way he would ruffle his fringe and flick it to the side but his favourite thing about him was that slow, deep voice of his. It took so long for words to roll off his tongue, but when they did each one sounded like a beautiful symphony.   
"Why are you staring at me?" Harry asked, as soon as the waiter walked away.   
"What?" Louis replied, unsure how to answer that question. After an internal debate with himself he decided to answer with humour, his allie. "You should be so lucky, Styles. I'm way outta your league. Now come on, spill."   
"I don't wanna burdon you or-"   
"Oh just tell me"   
"It's just work. Well, Nick. I mean, I don't blame him but he's had to up my rent in the flat because his landlord has been getting at him and I just, it's just gonna leave me short each month cos he can't give me anymore hours at the shop" he explained, his cheeks turning a pale shade of pink. "It's okay though, I'm going to find another job anyway and then I can hopefully get my own place".   
It hurt, watching Harry look so anxious and having him worry about money when Louis was sat there with more money than he knew what to do with. He felt like he had to do something; like he had to save him.   
"You should move in with me!"   
Oh shit.


	6. Chapter 6

One week later:  
Louis felt bad for calling Liam when he needed to offload but he had nobody else; he hadn't spoken to Harry since the moving in incident and he wasn't sure what to do. Of course, asking Harry to move in with him was possibly the worst idea he had ever had but for him to say no, was like a big, fat kick in the balls. His excuse had been that he couldn't expect to live with Louis for free and that he felt bad for leaving Nick behind when he had set him up with a place to stay when he needed it the most. Louis accepted his excuse with dignity but it still hurt and he wasn't quite sure how to act around him, which meant he had avoided him for the past week. They had text several times, Harry had invited him out for dinner but Louis made up a reason to decline. He had made things up with Katherine now and had tried to spend more time with her; just to see if he could sort his head out but he still couldn't get Harry out of his mind and it was really starting to worry him.  
"Louis mate, how are ya? You didn't sound so good on the phone, what's up?" Liam asked, gesturing for Louis to sit down with him. He slid a pint of beer over the table towards Louis and smiled, "Got the first round in, as usual!"  
"Hey! I bought many a round back in the day!" Louis protested.  
"I don't think so, pal! When it came to your round you would get yourself out there, flirt with the closest guy and then get your drinks bought for you for the rest of the bloody night".  
"Well, I'm sorry that I just so happen to be an attractive young man and everyone wants to buy me a drink. Jeez, jealous much?"  
"So come on... That boy you was with the other day, Harry? You're definitely trying to get into his pants!" Liam teased, flashing him a cheeky wink. Louis knew he would have to explain his situation but knowing how much he had trusted Liam with back in the day made him feel a bit better. If he had to talk to anyone about it, he would have picked Liam over anyone else. So Louis started from the very beginning, back in his college days when he finally plucked up the courage to talk to his parents; he explained how they had shot him down and forced him to keep quiet. He told him about the fake girlfriends, including Katherine, who he was dating right now, he explained about the blackmail and how his father had bought him a brand new home and car, just so he'd keep quiet and then he finally told Liam about Harry. A boy who had come crashing into his life so hard that he couldn't find a way back, he told him how he'd asked him to move in and how he'd politely declined and here he was now, stuck in an awkward situation and too afraid to go and see him.  
"Shit, Lou. That's rough. I- I'm sorry, man. About your parents, that is. You can't keep pretending, surely you miss it? Or do you still.... You know? Sleep with men?" he lowered his voice for the last part of the sentence and Louis' heart dropped at the question. Well, he had already poured his heart out so he might as well spill all of his secrets.  
"The truth is, Li. I've never... I mean, I've kissed and done other stuff, but, uh" Okay, this was harder than he had anticipated. Liam's mouth dropped open, it was obvious he understood what Louis was trying to say without him having to actually say it. He didn't say anything for a moment; the two of them were sat in a stunned silence. Liam took a sip of his pint and took a deep breath, "Fucking hell, Louis. Wow. So you're twenty two and you've _never_ slept with a guy? And you're gay? Wow".  
"Yeah, can we stop with the 'wows'? Making me feel bad over here... The thing is, the longer I waited the harder it got and then I just, I gave up. I assumed I was always going to live this lie but then Harry came along and I can't resist him, whenever I'm with him I just become this pathetic mess".  
"Sounds like love, mate". Louis glanced up at him, expecting to see a grin on his face but he was serious. Oh, shit he was serious. No. He didn't _love_ Harry. He'd only known him for a month and Louis didn't even know whether he was gay or not. He couldn't face talking about it any longer, his stomach was doing somersaults.  
"So, you and Zayn? How did you guys meet?" he piped up, hoping the topic of Zayn would sway the conversation away from him. Liam's face lit up at the mention of his name, his plan had worked.  
"Aww mate, this story will make you feel better. Believe it or not, _I_ was a pathetic mess back in the early stages. So we met at uni, I had seen Zayn in the hallway several times but had never mustered up the courage to talk to him because honestly, he is fucking breathtaking. Oh, I'll show you a picture!" he pulled out his phone and turned it towards Louis and _shit ___he wasn't lying. Zayn could be mistaken for a Vogue model; he had perfect cheekbones and such a defined jawline, his eyes were a beautiful hazelnut colour and he had the most amazing eyelashes he had ever seen on a guy. His skin was blemish free and he had a mass of black hair which was styled up into a perfect quiff, Louis was slightly jealous. Only slightly, of course.  
"Well done, Liam. Well done"  
"I know right? Anyway, so he was studying graphic design, he's so talented. You should see his artwork; he wants to be a tattoo artist! Like I was saying, obviously he looks like a model and with me studying journalism the only excuse I could come up with to talk to him was asking him to model some clothes for me, as I was writing a fashion article for the university newspaper. I couldn't believe it when he accepted my offer, so I got to photograph him for about an hour and we got chatting and I was just besotted with him".  
"That's not pathetic! That's sweet!" Louis butted in, feeling even worse about himself.  
"I haven't finished. So weeks passed and Zayn would constantly ask about the article, he wanted to see how it turned out. I had to come up with a lie and the first thing that came to mind was to tell him the editor had decided against publishing it because my writing wasn't good enough. I had no idea that Zayn would then storm into the university newspaper's weekly meeting, hurl abuse at the editor for being cruel and explain to him that I had worked so hard on that article and it had taken almost an hour to get the right shot, blah, blah, blah. Only to then have the editor tell him I didn't write for the university newspaper".  
"HA HA! Ohhhh, yeah. That is pathetic". Louis chuckled to himself and Liam soon joined in. It felt good to laugh.  
"I had a _lot ___of explaining to do when Zayn turned up at my flat and in the end I had to tell him the truth, that I had just wanted to spend some time with him... And that was it. Two years later and we're still inseparable. Zayn loves telling that story". Liam smiled as he said his name; something Louis could relate to. They spent the rest of the afternoon, drinking and reminiscing about the good old days; Louis missed high school. Although it had been tough at times he could be himself, especially with Liam by his side. Eventually the laughter died down and a surge of sadness filled Louis' heart, he missed Harry. He just needed to see him.  
"You should go and see him". Liam said, almost as if he had read Louis' thoughts. He had always been able to read Louis like a book.  
"You're right. I'm gonna go and see him".  
"Really?"  
"Yep! I've had a couple of pints and I'm feeling brave". Louis beamed, jumping up out of his seat and tapping his foot impatiently, waiting for Liam to join him.  
"Alright! Well, good luck man! Text me and let me know how it goes!" The two of them embraced, Louis felt so comfortable in Liam's arms. Fuck, he had missed his best friend. Maybe his life would be completely different if Liam had stayed in Ramsgate, but he couldn't dwell on 'what ifs', he had to go and see Harry.  
"I'm gonna go and get a taxi. Thanks for today, Li! It really means a lot to me" Louis pulled away and made his way towards the door, "I'll speak to you later!"  
Louis literally threw money at the taxi driver and jumped out as quickly as possible; he strolled into the shop, feeling confident but was faced with an empty shop floor. For some reason, Louis didn't call out for Harry, instead he decided to sneak up and surprise him, he wanted to see the look on his face. When he approached the till he could hear voices, so he slid against the wall, waiting for Harry to come back out.  
"I've told you how else you can pay me, Harry. I know you can't afford the rent so you don't really have a lot of options". It was Nick's voice.  
"Nick, please". Harry pleaded, he sounded so weak.  
"What the fuck is wrong with me, Harry? Am I not good enough for you? Huh?" Louis was sure he heard a slap and he certainly didn't need to hear anymore; he wasn't sure what was going on but he was going to find out. As he crept into the back his eyes widened at the sight of Harry pinned up against the wall; Nick was forcing his tongue into his mouth and grabbing at Harry's crotch. He was trying to fight him off but Nick grabbed hold of his hair and pulled his head back, viciously. At this point Louis couldn't even see straight, he was so angry and before any of them had noticed him he sprinted towards Nick and launched his fist into his jaw, causing the two of them to come crashing onto the floor.  
"Lou!" Harry gasped, "Don't. It's okay..."  
But Louis couldn't stop, he had never been so angry in all of his life. How _dare_ he take advantage of Harry. Sweet, caring, beautiful Harry who wouldn't hurt a fly. He threw another punch, ignoring Harry's pleas for him to stop. Nick was shielding his face and shouting out the word 'sorry' but none of that mattered now, it was too late. Louis found himself throwing punch after punch until eventually, Harry managed to drag him away and force him out of the shop. The two of them sprinted down the street, stopping off in a small alleyway, where they both fell into silence. Louis watched Harry as he slid down the wall and onto the floor; he put his head into his hands and began to cry. Was he crying because of what Louis had done? He wasn't sure but seeing him like this tore him apart; he dropped to his knees beside him and pulled him closer.  
"I'm sorry, Harry" he whispered, wrapping his arms around him and holding him so tight, he was afraid he was going to squeeze the life out of him. Harry lifted his head up, his eyes were red and puffy and his lip was bleeding. That fucker had hit him. He had fucking hit him. Just as the anger began to bubble up inside of him again Harry threw his arms around Louis, burying his head into his shoulder and sobbing, "Lou, I'm so sorry".  
Harry needed him; he had to fight every urge in his body not to go back and beat the living daylights out of Nick but listening to him crumble in his arms made things easier. He couldn't leave him like this.  
"Don't you be sorry, Harry. You haven't done anything wrong, okay?" Louis lifted Harry's chin up and wiped away his tears, trying his best not cry at the sight of this beautiful, innocent boy who had been assaulted and taken advantage of. How could anyone hurt him?  
"Do you think... he's okay?" Harry asked, proving just how caring he was.  
"I couldn't give a fuck, Haz. Come on, let's get to the flat quickly, grab your things and then you can come and stay with me. I'm not taking no for an answer". Louis helped him up and gave his hand an encouraging squeeze, before leading him back onto the street to find a taxi rank.  
"I'm so glad I have you, Lou".  
'You have me, Harry. You have every last bit of me'. Louis thought to himself, as he stared at the vulnerable boy in front of him. He wanted to protect him, he wanted to keep him safe and that's when he realised he was hook, line and sinker for this boy. He was in love with Harry Styles.


	7. Chapter 7

"I made you some tea" Louis said, sitting beside Harry on the couch and handing him the cup.  
"Bloody hell, what's wrong with you?" he forced a smile onto his face in an attempt to make light of the situation. The two of them had managed to grab most of Harry's things from back at the flat without bumping into Nick, which Louis was glad about because he knew full well if he saw him again he wouldn't be able to control himself. Neither of them had discussed what had happened; Louis was desperate to know what went on but he didn't want to push Harry for answers when it was obvious he was still shook up.  
"Thanks again, Lou..." he kept his eyes on the ground, "I mean it, you didn't have to get involved... You barely know me. It's nice to know I have somebody I can trust".  
"Yeah. Well... Any excuse to have a fight". Louis was uncomfortable with compliments, so he resorted to sarcasm; his only friend in tricky situations. Harry sipped his tea and tucked his feet up onto the couch, his shoulder rested against Louis' and the two of them sat in silence. It wasn't until fifteen minutes later when Louis attempted to get up for the remote, that he realised Harry had fallen asleep on him, even then his face was filled with anguish. Louis watched him for a while, desperate to touch him and eventually he gave in to his urges, hoping Harry was in such a deep sleep, he wouldn't notice. He slowly moved his arm around Harry and trailed his fingers along his soft, pink cheeks ever so delicately, frightened to wake him but that wasn't enough, he found himself tangling his fingers in between those bouncy, brown curls and embracing the smell of watermelon that burst into his nostrils each time he brushed through Harry's hair. Louis felt bad, he really did but he couldn't stop thinking about what he wanted to do to this vulnerable boy lying on his couch and the more he tried to avoid those kind of thoughts, the worse they got. He imagined slowly guiding his hand into his jeans and taking advantage of his cock, wrapping his fingers around his shaft and pumping up and down, ever so slowly until he was hard for him... No, he needed to stop. Harry had just been through an awful ordeal and here Louis was thinking about all the things he wanted to do to this boy. He was a bad person.  
"LOUIS?" Katherine's voice boomed through the hallway, as she pushed open the front door. Louis whipped his arm away from Harry and he jumped onto his feet, trying his best not to look suspicious. Although, shortly after he realised he had probably done the complete opposite.  
"Oh hey, Kathy" he whispered, wondering how the hell he was going to explain this one to her. Katherine eyed up all of the bags on the floor, she raised her eyebrows and glanced up at Louis, searching for an answer. Her eyes soon clapped on to Harry, who had somehow managed to stay asleep on the couch.  
"What's going on?"  
Okay, Louis had no idea what to say. Then again, Harry was his friend now... Guys move in together all the time, he was just helping out a friend. There's nothing wrong with that. Surely Katherine would understand. _Or_ he could tell her that Harry was moving back home? No, lying would definitely make it look suspicious.  
"Harry's moving in for a little while". Louis stated, waiting for Katherine's reaction with baited breath. He was hoping she'd just accept it and move on because he really didn't want an argument, not why Harry was asleep on the couch.  
"Are you fucking kidding? How's that happened?" she folded her arms, she was definitely about to start a fight. Louis loved an argument as much as the next guy, he was always quick with comebacks and _always_ got the last word, but this time things were different. If Harry were to hear them arguing about the fact he had moved in then he would most definitely move back out; he wouldn't want to cause any trouble and then where else would he go?  
"He, erm, had an argument with Nick. So I told him that he could stay here for a little bit, until it blows over".  
"Could have asked me first" she huffed.  
"Why would I ask you? It's not like you live here" Louis tone was harsh, he wasn't going to take Katherine's shit. Not after the day he'd had, which is why he had to get rid of her. It would be best for everyone if they discussed this at another time.  
"Is he paying rent?"  
"And what the fuck has that got to do with you?" Louis was still whispering, hoping that Harry wouldn't wake up.  
"Wait a minute, so you're telling me, that I had to pay for using your shower for a week when we were having our bathroom done in the house but _he_ gets to stay here free of charge?"  
"You were having two showers a day! The water bill was fucking extortionate!" Harry turned over, burying his head into one of the cushions. Louis reached out and grabbed ahold of Katherine's arm, leading her through into the bedroom. "Listen, he's a mate and he's having a bit of a shit time. I don't see what the big deal is?"  
"You spend a lot of time with him, Louis. I feel like I barely get to see you anymore... What is it about him?" she softened her voice and Louis sighed, pulling her onto the bed next to him. She put her hand onto his thigh and shuffled closer, "Do you even want to be with me anymore?"  
"Yeah, of course" Louis blurted out, wishing he had given it a little more thought. That had been his opportunity to end it all, finish this whole charade but he couldn't; he couldn't throw everything away for a boy who might not even be interested in him. Katherine let out a sigh of relief; she forced her lips onto his and it took all his strength not to pull away. Her hands found their way onto the back of his neck, holding him in place and all he could do was clamp his eyes shut and think about that wonderful curly haired boy lay on his couch.  
"Prove it then" she whispered, jumping on top of his lap and slamming him down onto the bed.  


"These things happen and hey, I had fun" Katherine beamed, leaning into Louis and nibbling at his ear. He felt sick; his stomach was churning, he wasn't sure how much longer he could carry on living this lie. "And you're definitely forgiven". He wanted to climb out of bed and get a shower, wash everything away but Katherine threw her leg across his and he began to wonder how much closer she could possibly get.  
"Lou?" Harry swung the door open and froze; his eyes fixed onto Louis'. Katherine squealed and pulled the duvet up to her neck but Louis couldn't speak, he couldn't drag his eyes away from Harry, not even for a second. He looked hurt. But why? Was he jealous? No. Louis didn't want him to be jealous, he didn't want to hurt him. He could just be reading into things too much, seeing what he wanted to see.  
"Oh, I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here... I'll get out your way" he couldn't quite get his words out, his eyes still fixated on Louis. "Sorry" he repeated as he made his way out of the room. Neither of them moved until they heard the front door closing and then Katherine began to laugh, "Oh my god, that was awkward!" she clambered out of bed, completely naked and Louis looked away, the look on Harry's face was etched in his mind. He wanted to chase after him, explain everything and drag him back home but instead he wandered into the bathroom and jumped into a hot shower, alone.  
"You want me to come and join you?" Katherine shouted through the door, she tried the handle but Louis' had locked it, anticipating her actions. "Hey, why's it locked?"  
"Sorry, I guess I'm trying to get in the habit now Harry's going to be here". he called through the door, as he scrubbed himself with shower gel and allowed the hot water to rush over him.  
"If only you had done that earlier!"  
By the time Louis emerged from the bathroom Katherine was fully clothed and stood in the kitchen making a cup of tea; she turned to greet him and handed him a cup.  
"Your mum called me. She asked what day we were going round for dinner. I told her I'm free on Thursday, if that's okay with you?"  
"Yeah, I knew I couldn't avoid it for much longer" Louis retorted, sitting down at the breakfast bar and pulling out his phone. He had a text from Harry; 'Sorry about b4, didn't know Katherine was there. I'll give u guys some space, be back later x'  
"Oh you're cruel, Louis!" she slapped his arm playfully. "So should I tell her it's a definite yes?" Louis grabbed his packet of cigarettes and shrugged his shoulders as he sparked one up. Katherine pursed her lips at the sight; she had never liked him smoking but he wasn't going to stop, he felt like he needed them now more than ever.  
"Yeah, whatever".  
"Okay, don't sound too excited babe" Katherine smiled and walked in to the front room to grab her handbag. "I'm gonna get off, Louis. I've got some coursework due in for Friday and I haven't even started it"  
Oh thank god, he couldn't wait to text Harry back and tell him to come home. Home. It felt strange to think of it like that but I guess, for now, it was Harry's home. Caught up in his own thoughts, he managed to get rid of Katherine rather quickly and as soon as he closed the door he found himself speeding over to his phone and typing out a text; 'She's gone now, u can come back. I'm gonna order pizza? What do u like?'  
His phone buzzed with a reply almost immediately, Louis opened up the text to see one word staring back at him. 'You'  
He panicked, surely this was a joke? No, no, Harry didn't like him... If he did then it would make things a million times worse. Louis stared at his phone, typing out several replies and then deleting them; his heart was racing and he found himself lighting up another cigarette. Another text came through a moment later and Louis was almost a little bit disappointed when he read; 'You pick. I'll eat anything. Sorry! Pressed send lol x'

Harry strolled past Louis without giving him a second glance and he couldn't help but get the feeling that Harry was slightly pissed off. He made his way into the kitchen and opened up the pizza boxes, nodding his head in respect of Louis' topping choice. He had opted for a plain, old pepperoni pizza because let's be honest, everyone loved pepperoni pizza and if they didn't; well Louis didn't have time for those kind of people.  
"How did you know I liked pepperoni?" Harry asked, pulling out a slice and placing it onto a plate.  
"Because, Harold _everyone_ likes pepperoni pizza" Louis snatched the plate and took a huge bite out of the pizza before Harry could take it back. It was amazing how quickly everything went back to normal between the two of them; everything about Harry was comfortable and he loved that. He loved him.  
"And what if I didn't like pepperoni pizza?"  
"Let's just say I keep a pile of those kind of people down by the river" Louis winked, leaning over and wiping tomato sauce from Harry's cheek. He instantly regretted his action but Harry didn't seem to mind, in fact he returned the favour and Louis shuddered at his touch. To draw attention away from his reaction, Louis picked up a slice of pizza and slapped it against Harry's face, he was taken aback by Louis' actions but burst into a fit of laughter as he peeled a piece of crust off and threw it into Louis' face. The two of them ended up tangled in a food fight; Oreo was scurrying along the floor and scavenging pieces of pepperoni whilst Louis had taken cover behind the breakfast bar, peering over every now and again to throw another piece of food.  
"You're going down, Stylesy boy!"  
"Ha! I don't think so, Lou! You're not even brave enough to come out and face me!" he taunted, his voice seemed to be getting closer. This time, when Louis popped his head out, Harry was stood right in front of him; he wrapped one arm around his shoulders and smeared a slice of pizza onto his face. Louis tried to wriggle free but Harry was so much bigger than him and the truth was, he enjoyed being in his arms. Harry forced the slice into Louis' mouth; giggling uncontrollably, "How do you like pepperoni pizza now, huh, Lou?" Oh, he was getting cheeky. Louis had to put a stop to this. He _had_ to be the pizza food fight champion. Louis dropped down to the floor and out of Harry's arms; he spun around and planted a squashed slice against Harry's nose before he had even had the chance to react. Harry stumbled backwards and skidded into the fridge but Louis didn't let up, he followed after him and pinned him up, "I _love_ pepperoni pizza, Harold. How about you?"  
"Get off, loser" he said, unable to contain his smile. There it was; that dimple, the one that made Louis weak at the knees. He released Harry from his grip and trailed his eyes down his body; he was covered in tomato sauce and bits of cheese; his hair was stuck to his forehead and Louis couldn't help but smile at the sexy, mess stood before him.  
"I guess we should clean this up..." Harry piped up, bending down and scraping up bits of food. Oreo wasn't best pleased and began nudging Harry's hand out of the way, it became a race between the two of them to see who could get the most.  
"Harry, it's fine. You go and get cleaned up, me and Oreo will finish off". As soon as Harry left the room; Louis took it upon himself to light up another cigarette and let Oreo carry on with the cleaning. Things were just so easy with Harry, neither of them could deny the chemistry and it felt as though they had known each other their whole lives. Louis had never felt like this before, it was frightening and yet, exciting. Sure, he had pictured himself with other boys and even chased after them for a little while but nothing like this; this was different.  
"Shit" he cried out, dropping the cigarette onto the ground and sucking on his finger, trying to stop it from stinging. He jumped up off the stool and stomped his foot onto the stub, making sure to put it out. Oreo glanced up at him, almost as if passing judgement for a moment.  
"Hey. It was an accident, okay? Now shut up and eat your pizza" Louis made his way out of the kitchen and towards the bedroom, he had to get out of these clothes. As much as he loved pizza, the smell was making him feel sick. On his way to the bedroom he noticed the bathroom door was ajar; he could hear the shower running and Harry humming the tune of 'Sex on Fire', one of Louis' favourite songs. Before he could stop himself he peered around the door, frozen to the spot at the sight that greeted him. Harry's body was everything Louis' had expected it to be and more; his bum was so small and perky and he even had dimples at the bottom of his perfectly curved spine. Louis' heart was thumping against his chest, he could feel himself getting hard as Harry raised his arms and rinsed the shampoo out of his hair, the steam surrounded him, encasing him in a blurry shield of perfection. Standing there, watching the soapy residue trail down his body was enough to drive Louis insane but the moment shattered when Harry glanced over his shoulder and locked eyes with him.


	8. Chapter 8

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shitty, shit shit. Louis slammed his bedroom door shut and tried to catch his breath. Oh fuck. Harry had seen him. He had seen him fucking standing there with a massive bone on, watching him in the shower. How was he supposed to wriggle his way out of this one? His heart was racing, there was no way he could face him. How had he been so stupid? Harry had him hypnotised, leaving the goddamn door open, knowing full well that Louis was in the house. Maybe he had wanted him to see? No, Louis couldn't afford to let himself think like that.  
 _Tap, tap_ two gentle knocks at the door and Louis froze, he was completely panic stricken.  
"You can get in now, Lou. Sorry I took so long..." Harry muttered through the door, completely ignoring what had just happened. Louis had to face him, he could easily pass it off as a misunderstanding and if he knew Harry, even the slightest bit then surely he wouldn't even bring it up. It must have been just as embarrassing for him afterall. He took a deep breath and opened up the door, those big green eyes focusing gently on Louis' face.  
"Yeah, uhm, I'll jump in now" Louis slid past Harry, trying his very best not to look at him in nothing but a towel. "You should pick a film, I won't be long" He shut the bathroom door and breathed a sigh of relief, that wasn't as bad as he had expected. He reached over and turned the shower on, basking in the scent of coconut that Harry had left behind. Louis slid out of his pizza stained clothes and checked the water, he had made the mistake of jumping in to a cold shower one too many times.  
"Louis?" Harry burst into the bathroom, a smile spread across his face at the sight of Louis' naked body. He grabbed a towel and held it up against his body, in an attempt to cover his dignity. Harry strolled over and ripped the towel away from him.  
"Harry, what the fuck?" Louis gasped, cupping himself and stepping backwards, his bum pressed against the cold marble of the sink.  
"Now now, Lou. It's only fair! You saw me naked, I get to see you naked. Those are the rules" his eyes trailed up and down Louis' body, lingering on his crotch and then he left, closing the door behind him, leaving Louis shocked and confused but mostly, incredibly horny. He spent his shower bashing away at himself, letting his thoughts run wild and releasing every last bit of his pent up emotions into the stream of water.  
When Louis made his way out of the bathroom he found Harry curled up on his bed, playing a game on his phone and choosing to have the volume full blast; something Louis had told Katherine off for several times.  
"What happened to you won't be long?" he rolled over to face Louis, his eyes were red and puffy. Okay, so Harry had just seen Louis naked and now he's been crying? Not good for his ego...  
"You okay?" he sat on the bed beside Harry, shifting his towel over his thighs and becoming suddenly aware of his nakedness.  
"Yeah, I'm okay" he replied, staring up at Louis and wiping his eyes on his sleeves. "Just been a rough day that's all"  
"You wanna talk about it?"  
"Uh... Yeah, okay"  
"I'll just throw some clothes on" Louis got up from the bed and Harry gripped onto his wrist, tugging him back down next to him. "Okay, I'll get dressed later".  
"I'm so embarrassed that I let Nick do that, I just... I didn't have anywhere else to go. I didn't know anybody else... I thought he was my friend". Harry started, his voice was quiet. Louis didn't say anything, he didn't want to push him for information and he wasn't sure he even wanted to hear all the gory details, the thought of anyone hurting Harry made him sick. "I knew he liked me, he always had and I'd turned him down on several occasions but this time it was different, I was living with him and I couldn't get away. He started off by blackmailing me, he told me if I didn't..." he paused, looking away for a moment. "If I didn't.. sleep with him..." he scrunched up his nose as the words left his mouth, "then he would kick me out and I'd lose my job at the shop. And I couldn't go home, I can't. So I didn't really have an option..."  
Louis couldn't hide his anger; he pictured Nick grunting away on top of Harry. Sweet, innocent Harry. He wanted to ask why he couldn't go home, he wanted to know everything there was to know about this boy but instead he reached out and placed his hand on top of Harry's, a gesture he appreciated.  
"After a couple of weeks... after I met you... I realised I could make new friends, I could find somewhere else to stay so I started saving up and when I tried to tell Nick it was over, well, that's when you turned up. I just can't believe I let it happen again, I can't believe I let someone control me. I'm pathetic."  
 _Again?_ So this had happened to Harry before? That word was eating away inside of Louis but he didn't question it, he just sat there in silence and tried to find the right words to say.  
"You're not pathetic, Harry"  
"I feel it"  
"Well don't. I've seen your sassy side and I know you've got it in you to stand up for yourself, you need to stop being so goddamn nice, Harold. Nice guys finish last".  
"But you're nice" Harry smiled, allowing those dimples to make an appearance. Louis smiled back at him and pulled him in for a hug; he held onto him, brushing his fingers up and down Harry's shoulder. "Only to you, Harry" he said, resting his chin on top of Harry's head and basking in that wonderful coconut smell coming from his curls. "I'm an arsehole and I'm a horrible person but I don't take shit from anyone and it's got me to where I am today. Now, _please_ let me put on some clothes, it's starting to get a little bit chilly and it's not good for my image".  
"Don't worry, Lou. I've seen you at your best, so it's fine" he chuckled, swiftly gazing down at his crotch, suggestively. Louis shook his head and jumped up from the bed, he pulled out a pair of joggers and stepped into them. When he turned back Harry had clambered underneath the duvet and was patting the bed beside him, "Can I stay in here tonight? I don't really wanna be on my own and besides, you owe me".  
"I _owe_ you? And pray, do tell me, Harry... How do I owe you?" Louis raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer and jumped underneath the covers, pulling them up to his neck to block out the cold.  
"The other night? You were drunk and asked me to stay with you until you fell asleep... And I did, therefore you owe me" Harry shuffled closer, he pressed against Louis' bare chest. "You cold?" he asked, throwing his arm over him and pulling him closer. It felt strange lying in Harry's arms, almost as if they were more than friends. Louis could feel his heartbeat drumming through his ears; the rise and fall of his chest was extremely comforting and he closed his eyes, embracing the moment. Harry's foot slid across the mattress and bumped into Louis', "Oh my god!" he recoiled his foot immediately, "Your feet are freezing cold!"  
"They always are"  
"That's because you never wear socks!" he brought his feet back across to Louis' side and curled his toes around his foot, attempting to warm them up. Harry's feet were so much bigger than Louis', he kind of felt inadequate but something about the situation made him feel safe, he wanted to lie here forever. It had only just turned 10pm but it had been such a long day, Harry reached across and switched off the lamp and draped his arm across Louis' body.  
"Goodnight, Lou" he whispered, reaching down and brushing his lips against Louis' cheek, it was so incredibly gentle and Louis could feel himself melting at his touch. He turned his head towards Harry and smiled, their faces within inches of one another. His warm breath caressed his face, the sweet smell of coconut filled his nostrils and his mind whirled with thoughts of Harry and his beautiful, pink lips. He couldn't get his words out, he felt intoxicated. Did Harry want this as much as he did? Neither of them had looked away and it had been Harry who had asked to stay. Louis wanted nothing more than to take hold of those alluring, pink cheeks and pull him into him, driving his tongue into that wonderful mouth of his, tasting him, owning him completely.  
"Goodnight, Harry" he breathed, eventually moving away and rolling over, wishing he kissed him but thankful that he hadn't. 

  
"So now he's living with you?" Liam asked, giving Louis a look of discontent whilst sipping his beer.  
"Like I said before, I'm pathetic. But it's nice you know? Having him around..."  
"Of course it is, you fucking fancy the pants off the guy. It's dangerous territory, Louis. Do you wanna come out?"  
"I do. I always have, it's just... I _can't_ " Louis ran his hands through his hair and shifted his eyes onto his phone, which had just lit up with a text. It was Harry, but then again it was always Harry.  
'I'm making tea. Ask Liam does he want 2 come xx' This was an everyday occurrence now, Louis would come home to find Harry stood in the kitchen cooking dinner and Oreo sat beside him, waiting for some scraps. It never failed to put a smile on his face, watching the boy he loved stood in _his_ kitchen, making _his_ dinner.  
"You wanna come over for dinner?"  
"Sure! I wanna get to know this Harry guy, make sure he's good enough for you. Can I bring Zayn? He's driving down here tonight, finished his exams yesterday and I really want you to meet him".  
"Don't see why not. Trust me, Harry is _too_ good for me!" Louis sighed, knowing it was the truth. He picked up his phone and typed out a reply; 'Make enough for 4. Liam's bringing his bf, be home soon xx' and once he'd clicked send he realised... he'd put kisses on the end. Liam was right; this was dangerous territory, the two of them were crossing the boundaries from friends and soon there would be no way back. Louis understood the rules, a friendship could not work if one person had feelings for the other, it was basic knowledge. He wasn't sure how Harry felt about him, maybe he was just being nice? Maybe he was like that with everyone? He was in such a mess.  
"Hey! Dolly daydream? Did you hear me?" Liam's voice, shattered through his thoughts and dragged him back to reality.  
"Sorry... What did you say?"  
"I said, should we get going? You've gotta get to work haven't you?"  
"Yeah... yeah, let's get going" Louis finished off the last of his corona and the two of them made their way outside, it was pouring down with rain, yet again, but the lads had a heavy training session tonight ahead of the game next weekend. He always felt guilty taking them outside in this kind of weather but he had to. Liam dropped Louis off outside and as he made his way inside he was greeted with the sight of his boys, ready and waiting.  
"Hey, you guys are early! Feeling eager tonight?" Louis beamed with pride at his team. These boys were only 8 but they had more determination and passion than he had ever shown at that age; that's probably why he was stood here coaching football and not playing it professionally. He had definitely missed the boat.  
"Yeah coach. We wanna win the first match next weekend against the tigers!" White replied, jumping to his feet. The other boys followed his lead.  
"Alright! Well, lets get out there!" Louis took the boys onto the pitch and started them off with a couple of stretches. Afterwards he took them for a few laps around the pitch; after the second lap Louis had to stand on the side lines; he really needed to quit smoking.  
"RIGHT BOYS, GATHER AROUND!" Louis yelled, gesturing for the boys to come back. When all of them turned up he pointed to Jinx and Potter and assigned the rest of them numbers. "We're gonna do another 6 vs 6 match, so pick numbers! Go on, Potter you start"  
"Hey, Lou!" came an all to familiar voice. Louis found Harry almost immediately; he couldn't miss him. He burst into a fit of laughter at the sight of Harry, he was wearing one of Louis' football kits, a lime green one and it was far too small for him which meant the shorts left little to the imagination. He bounded over like an excited puppy and all the boys stopped to look at him, "Okay guys, this is Harry. He's.. uhm, he's going to... watch you guys, review the game. Okay? So go on, get into your positions" Louis turned back to Harry and tried his very best to avoid looking down at those skimpy, little shorts. "What are you doing here?"  
"That's nice. I just thought, well, I've always liked football but I suck at it. So I thought maybe you could teach me?" Harry flashed him a pearly smile and Louis couldn't resist that look. He shook his head in disbelief at this idiot stood in front of him and then returned the smile, "Fine, I'll sub you on in a bit. I thought you were making tea?"  
"It's done. Just have to heat it up when we get back!" Louis allowed the boys to play for a little while, Harry watched intently, desperate to pick up any tips and eventually louis subbed him into the game, desperate to watch his boy play. The rest of the boys were baffled by this, "I thought he was watching?" "They get an adult on their team? That's not fair?" they piped up, but as soon as Harry began to play the questions died down. Wow, he was every bit as bad as he had said he was; Louis was so enthralled in his performance, he loved the way he would trip over his own feet every couple of seconds and how he couldn't kick the ball any further than 2 metres at a time. It was positively adorable. Louis wanted the match to carry on forever, he could sit and watch Harry all night but the boys were starting to get tired and Louis had already pushed for 10 minutes extra time, even though the score was 5-2. Not to Harry's team of course.  
"I hope he isn't going to play for us at the weekend coach. Your friend's not very good" White said as he walked past back Louis and headed inside.  
"Hey!" Harry called after him, pretending to take offence.  
"Wow, you weren't lying when you said you were terrible at football" Louis teased, nudging Harry with his shoulder. He looked so good, sweat dripping down his forehead, his hair pushed back off his face and Louis' football shirt clinging to his abs.  
"Yep but I had fun and it's the taking part that counts, right?"  
"Ha! Tell that to those boys in there".  
"I don't want to, I'm scared" Harry whispered, a smile creeping onto his face.  
Louis wrapped his arm around his waist and laughed alongside him, "Come on, lets go and apologise to the boys. I got your back... Wimp".


	9. Chapter 9

Zayn was even more beautiful in real life; Liam lead him inside with pride literally bursting off his face and Louis stared after them, without an ounce of dignity. Harry approached the two of them, greeting them with a hug rather than a handshake, cute little fucker.  
"Nice place you got here" Zayn said, working his way around the room, just as Harry had done the first time Louis brought him home. "You must be Louis?" he offered his hand and Louis took it, still fixating on Zayn's face. Liam couldn't help but laugh, "Could you stop staring at my boyfriend please, Lou? I don't wanna have to beat the shit out of you"  
"Try it, dickwod" Louis retorted, opting for childish name calling as his comeback. Liam gave Louis the finger and helped Zayn into his seat, almost as if he was a delicate little flower. It was nauseatingly sweet.  
"I hope you guys like spaghetti bolognese?" Harry called in from the kitchen.  
"Fuck no!"  
"Shutup, Lou!" he could hear him laughing, "Come in here and help me dish it out" Liam smirked and shot Louis a look as he made his way into the kitchen, beckoning to Harry's call. He was leaning over the pan, checking on the spaghetti; Louis came up behind him and rested his head on his shoulder, "It smells good" he dipped his finger into the sauce and Harry swatted him away.  
"Get your dirty paws out of my food!"  
"Dirty? How rude!" he sucked the sauce off his finger and went to grab some plates out of the cupboard. "You should put some pepper in that"  
"Excuse me, Mister Tomlinson? I will _not_ take advice from a guy who can't even make beans on toast!" Harry waggled his finger at him, Louis snatched hold of it and pulled him closer.  
"I'll have you know I make a mean beans on toast, Mister Styles"  
"If you two lovebirds have quite finished? I brought a bottle of wine, so crack it open for me, will ya? And grab me some glasses" Liam ordered, peeking his head around the door frame, unable to contain his smile. Louis released Harry's finger and scowled at Liam, snatching the bottle of wine and grabbing a corkscrew from the drawer.  
"Open it yourself, arsehole" he pushed the bottle of wine back into Liam's hands and followed him back out to the table with a handful of glasses. Zayn got to his feet and took two of the glasses from Louis, he placed them around the table and once Liam had opened the bottle, he poured everyone a glass.  
"So, Louis? Liam told me you coach football, that's pretty cool" Zayn's attempt at starting a conversation was top class, choosing football as a topic was always a winner.  
"Yeah, I coach the under 9's at the local football pitch. Got a pretty good team on my hands this season, the boys have been putting in so much effort. You into football, Zayn?"  
"I wouldn't say I'm a big fan but every now and again Liam and Niall force me to watch it. I'm not the sporty type, I prefer art" he cast a glance over at Liam, who was smiling back at him like a proud boyfriend.  
"Liam mentioned that. Said you wanna be a tattoo artist. Got any ink yourself?" Louis asked, hoping to get a peek of his body. Zayn nodded and peeled off his jacket, revealing two full sleeves of tattoos. Wow, this guy was hardcore. "Okay, that answers my question".  
"You been talkin' about me, huh?" Zayn asked, turning to Liam and rubbing his nose against his. Liam planted a soft kiss onto it and smiled, "Baby, you're all I talk about". The two of them launched into a full scale make-out session, leaving Louis feeling a little bit uncomfortable. To make matters worse, Harry walked into the room and his eyes flickered from Zayn and Liam until eventually they landed on Louis. He wondered what Harry was thinking about, was he thinking the same as Louis? Did he want to kiss him just as much?  
"Will you help me carry the food in?" He didn't need to ask twice, Louis excused himself from the table (not like anyone was listening) and followed Harry into the kitchen. They took two plates each and took them back to the table, Zayn and Liam had managed to pry themselves apart as the meal arrived. Everybody thanked Harry for the meal and before they had the chance to tuck in, Harry tapped his knife against his glass and cleared his throat.  
"I'd like to make a toast, if that's okay?"  
"Oh god. This isn't the fucking BAFTA's, Styles" Louis teased, tugging at Harry's arm for him to sit back down. This time he didn't take the bait, instead he rolled his eyes and pushed Louis away.  
"Anyway, I just wanted to say how grateful I am to Louis, for taking me in and being there, when I needed it the most. And I'm glad to have met you guys, I hope we can be good friends. That's it, that's all I have to say, so... yeah, hope you like it. Tuck in!"

"So Louis goes up to the bouncer, already bladdered at this point and starts telling him that he's a part of the royal family. I was fuckin' crying with laughter-"  
"Yeah and he'd have believed me if you hadn't been laughing in the background!" Louis exclaimed, grabbing Liam in a headlock and ruffling his hair.  
"Fuck off! You were covered in sick, not very royal if you ask me! Anyway, when the bouncer doesn't fall for it Louis starts mouthing off and swings a punch at him. Bare in mind this guy was 6 foot 7, built like a brick shit house and Louis', well... Louis' tiny. The bouncer moved out the way and Louis' smacks the wall, shattering his fist and breaking his wrist, it was the funniest thing I've ever seen! He cried like a baby when we got to the hospital and the alcohol wore off!" Liam couldn't help but laugh as he was telling the story, Zayn and Harry chuckled along with him and Louis' pouted his lips, that was not the kind of story he wanted Harry to hear.  
"It hurt like a bitch! You'd have cried"  
Harry made his way over to Louis and sat on the arm of the chair beside him, his arm somehow finding its way around Louis' shoulders.  
"Aww, poor baby!" He was so patronising, but Louis loved it. Harry nuzzled his face into his hair and kissed the top of his head, in the past Louis had always hated it when people babied him, but this time he found it adorable. Maybe it was the fact that he was drunk or maybe it was the fact that it was Harry, either way he found himself playing along and pushed his fist against Harry's mouth.  
"Kiss it better!" he ordered, staring up at the curly haired boy towering over him. Harry took hold of his hand and kissed it all over, his lips were so soft and Louis found himself watching, mesmerised by him and trying to imagine the feel of those lips pressed against his.  
"You guys are cute together" Zayn hinted, his voice suddenly making the two of them very aware of the fact they were not alone. Harry pulled away, allowing Louis hand to drop onto his thigh.  
"So, Harry... What's your deal?" Liam asked, making the atmosphere even more uncomfortable than it was before. Louis was desperate to know so he didn't interject, instead he swivelled around in his seat and eagerly awaited Harry's answer.  
"My deal?" he replied, baffled by the question.  
"You know? Guys? Girls?"  
"Animals?" Zayn added and Liam slapped him playfully, the two of them giggling between themselves. Harry didn't reply at first, he glanced down at Louis and sighed.  
"I'm- uhm, I'm gay" he muttered, almost inaudible. "I hope that doesn't make things... uncomfortable for you, Lou. With me living here..."  
"HA! Uncomfortable? He fucking loves it" Liam shouted and Louis shot him a dirty look, signalling for him to shut up. He loved Liam, but he could _not_ keep a secret once he'd had a drink so Louis felt like it was time for them to leave before matters got worse.  
"I'm gonna get myself off to bed now guys, you alright to get off?" Louis said, suggestively. Zayn obviously got the hint and got to his feet, nodding in reply to Louis' question. He linked his arm through Liam's and pulled him up, "Thanks for having us round, Louis. Was nice to meet you and you too, Harry".  
"Aww, I don't wanna go yet! The conversation is starting to get interestiiiiing!" Liam sang, wriggling out of Zayn's grip and pulling both, Harry and Louis in for a hug.  
"No. No it's not, Li. I'm tired and you're very drunk, so get yourself home. Zayn will look after you".  
"Ooh, that sounds promising" Liam released his grip on the two of them and wrapped his arms around Zayn's neck, pulling him into a passionate kiss. Harry and Louis stood awkwardly waiting for them to finish so that they could see them to the door.  
"Sorry" Harry whispered.  
"What for?"  
Before he had the chance to reply Zayn and Liam pulled apart and made their way towards the door, grabbing at their jackets. Liam attempted to help Zayn with his jacket but failed miserably, so in the end Louis had to get involved and help guide Liam's arms into his sleeves.  
"Thanks for tonight" Zayn said, flashing them a smile and revealing his perfectly white teeth. Louis still wasn't over how pretty he was. "And thanks for the meal, Harry. It was gorgeous. I think we'll be coming round for dinner more often" he pushed Liam out of the door first and waved goodbye, Louis and Harry watched them stumble down the pathway and across the road.  
"Well... That was fun" Harry shut the door and followed Louis back into the living room, where he began picking up the empty glasses off the table.  
"What's your obsession with cleaning?" Louis asked, slumping down onto the couch and putting his feet up on the table. Harry knocked them back off onto the floor and carried on tidying up; he took the glasses into the kitchen without saying anything and Louis got up to join him. Something was wrong.  
"What's the matter?"  
"Nothin'" he mumbled, filling the sink up with hot water and putting far too much washing up liquid in. Another pet peeve of Louis'.  
"Yes there is. Is it because of Liam? Did he put you on the spot? He gets like that when he's had a drink but he-"  
"I don't mind... I just, don't want you to feel like I have lied to you" Harry explained, rinsing out each glass and putting them onto the dish rack, still refusing to give eye contact to Louis. He leaned on the counter beside Harry and reached out to touch his arm, "Lie about what? Being gay?"  
"Yeah" he shied away from Louis' touch for the first time ever and it was painful.  
"You didn't lie! You never told me you were straight, so I didn't assume either way. It doesn't matter to me, straight, gay, whatever. I like you, Harry"  
"Would you have got into bed with me if you had known I was gay?"  
YES. YES. A MILLION TIMES YES. Louis had an overwhelming sense of guilt; here Harry was feeling like he had lied about his sexuality and that's exactly what Louis was doing. Now was his chance, he could explain everything and hopefully Harry would understand. It was a constant battle between his head and his heart and so far, his head had won each round.  
"Harry. My best friend is gay... We shared a bed many times, we even shared a shower after football. It doesn't bother me, okay?"  
Yep, his head had won again.  
"I suppose so... I just wish I had been honest with you" Harry dried his hands on the towel and brushed his hair out of his face. "Especially after everything you've done for me".  
"For God's sake, Harry. Stop acting like you owe me!"  
"But Lou, I _do_ . I owe you so much-" he trailed off, a soft expression rushing over his face.  
"No you don't!" Louis grabbed hold of Harry's arms and gave him a shake, hoping to knock some sense into him. He didn't want Harry to feel like he owed him; he cared about this boy so fucking much and for once, he didn't expect anything in return. "I'm your friend, Harry. That's what real friends do. I know people haven't treated you right in the past but I will, I'll always be here-" Harry's mouth found his way onto his, it was passionate and forceful, causing Louis to stumble back against the fridge. Oh god, how had this happened? It was everything Louis had wanted, their mouths locked together and Louis didn't want it to end. He knew he should pull away, but he couldn't, it felt so good. It felt right. Harry's hands wrapped around Louis waist, pressing his erection against his thigh. Louis' hands trailed up Harry's spine and into his hair, lacing his fingers in between the strands, he was desperate for him. Harry's tongue was so gentle as it flicked up along the roof of his mouth; he tasted like red wine but sweeter. Harry's hands cupped Louis' bum and he forced him up onto his tiptoes, he felt so small in his grasp and for once in his life, he let someone else take control. It took Louis by surprise when Harry lifted him up onto the counter and slotted himself in between Louis' thighs. He ran his hand across his crotch; Louis was so hard for him and that's when everything changed. Harry froze, he released Louis from his grip and when he pulled away he looked terrified.  
"Oh god. I'm so sorry, Lou"  
"Harry..." but before he had the chance to reply, Harry had ran into the living room and out of the front door, leaving Louis hurt and confused but most of all frightened. What had he done?


	10. Chapter 10

BUZZZZZZZZZZ. Louis eyes shot open and he reached across the couch to grab his phone, "Harry?"  
"What? No! It's Katherine, where the fuck are you? We have to be at your parents house in fifteen minutes?" Oh, shit. Louis had completely forgot. Was it really 3.30pm? He checked to see if Harry had text him, but there was nothing. He had managed to stay awake up until 4am; he had called Harry's mobile several times but not heard anything back and eventually he fell asleep, hoping that he would wake up and everything would be back to normal. As Louis scanned the house, he soon realised that Harry hadn't come home at all. Where had he stayed last night? His mind was racing with horrible thoughts; what if he was lying in a ditch somewhere? What if he had been knocked over? He tried to call him again but there was no answer so he typed out a text, 'Harry, pls come home. I'm worried about u, no hard feelings about last night. We were both drunk. U dont have 2 worry. Are u ok? Where are u? xx'  
Louis managed to get changed within a matter of minutes and went to pick up Katherine, she jumped in the car and pulled her face.  
"Jesus, Louis you look rough as hell! What did you even get up to last night?" she opened the window on her side and forced out a cough, "and it stinks of cigarettes in here".  
"That's probably because I smoke in here..." Louis wasn't in the mood for this; he didn't want to sit through a meal with Katherine and his parents and act like everything was okay when all he could think about was Harry and that kiss. He wanted to go and look for him; he needed to know he was okay but that wasn't an option.  
"Any idea what's happened to Nick?"  
Nick! Louis had completely forgotten about him. "No, why?"  
"Has Harry mentioned anything? Surely he hasn't been working either? The shop hasn't been open for four days, Louis! I've tried calling him but he isn't answering his phone. I hope he's okay!"  
Louis had to think of something, and fast. He couldn't have Katherine turning up at Nick's place asking questions because Louis knew only too well that he would spill the beans.  
"Oh, come to think of it Harry did mention something. Nick's gone on holiday, he said he'll be gone for two weeks"  
"And nobody thought to tell me? What is wrong with you men? Huh?" she shook her head and turned to stare out of the window. Louis didn't bother making conversation; he didn't want to talk to anyone, especially not Katherine and his parents but he couldn't back out. It wasn't worth the hassle.  
Louis' mum greeted them, dragging them into a warm hug and guiding them through into the dining room where his dad was already sat down drinking a glass of whisky. His face lit up at the sight of Katherine; he jumped up to his feet and opened up his arms, "Come here, you!" she happily accepted his invitation and moved around the table to hug him. Louis sat down, avoiding eye contact even though he knew full well his dad wouldn't ask him for a hug. Men didn't hug.  
"How are you, son? I feel like I haven't seen you for months. Your mum said you popped round the other day, sorry I missed you"  
"I'm great" he managed to say, without an ounce of enthusiasm. "Just been keeping busy with the football team, got our first match at the weekend so I've been working them hard". His mum waltzed into the room with a tray of vegetables and potatoes; a Sunday roast on a Thursday was the norm in this household.  
"Glad to hear of it. I'll try and get down to see it, not sure if I have anything scheduled but I shall have a look after dinner" his dad began dishing out small portions onto each plate, never giving anyone the option because at the Tomlinson household you get what you're given. "How about you, Kathy? Has Louis been looking after you?"  
"Well, I haven't seen much of him lately! He's been busy with his new friend, Harry" Louis could feel his dad's eyes burning into him but he didn't look up from his plate to check. "And of course Liam has been down to visit".  
"Liam from school?" his tone was harsh, of course he knew all about Liam and he didn't like it one bit, he never had. "The _gay_ one?" He put so much emphasis on the word gay, almost as if it was something to be ashamed of and Louis finally glanced across at his dad, who didn't look best pleased.  
"Yes. Liam the gay one. Not that it's any of your business anymore dad" Louis snapped, unable to control his temper.  
"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that, Louis" Katherine piped up. She didn't have a fucking clue. The atmosphere was unbearable; the three of them fell into an uncomfortable silence until eventually Louis' mum came back into the room with the remaining food and took her seat.  
"So when are you going to make an honest woman of Katherine? Should I go out and buy a hat?" she asked, completely oblivious to the tension in the room. Katherine giggled at the implication and as Louis looked around the room he realised he couldn't do this anymore; he couldn't pretend to be in love with someone, he couldn't live a lie to please his parents for any longer. Louis could never win; everything he did was tainted with this dark secret and the fact his parents were willing to brush it under the carpet and act like everything was okay made his blood boil. He was in love with Harry and if he couldn't be with him then what was the point? He didn't want the fancy car or the big house, it just felt empty without Harry. _He_ felt empty without Harry.  
"You know what mum?" he took a deep breath, "No. Don't bother buying a fucking hat. Don't _ever_ bother to buy a fucking hat. I am never going to marry Katherine, I am never going to be the son you want me to be" he jumped to his feet; watching their reaction. His dad was bright red, he couldn't tell whether that was with anger or embarrassment and his mum and Katherine were sat with their mouths wide open, in complete shock. Louis turned to Katherine, "And I'm never going to be the boyfriend you want me to be... I'm sorry, Kathy. It's over... This whole fucking charade is over" he stormed out of the house and rushed over to his car, he had to go and find Harry. He had to tell him.

Louis felt as though he had been driving for hours; crawling through the streets in his Audi, desperate to find Harry. He stopped across the road from Nick's apartment, contemplating knocking on and checking to see if he was there. Surely Harry wasn't stupid enough to do that? He pulled his phone out of his pocket, his heart skipped a beat as he realised there was a text from Harry. His fingers fumbled at the lock screen and he opened it up, 'Gone home. Will pick my things up in a few weeks'. No kisses. That was the first thought that popped into his head; he didn't want to tell Harry any of this over text but he didn't want to chase him back to his home town, he needed space but he had to know Louis' wasn't mad at him. 'I dont want u 2 move out, H. We'll talk when u come home, I have something 2 tell u. It's gd news, so pls don't worry. Dont be long. The house feels empty without u  & I have no idea what I am gonna cook 4 my tea lol xxx' Louis wasn't sure why he felt the need to make light of every situation but he was hoping it would put Harry at ease; persuade him to come home sooner. He sat there for a while, waiting for a reply but after several minutes he realised that wasn't going to happen. Louis felt liberated; he was finally free. He had to tell Liam.  
He pulled up at Liam's parents house; rushing to the front door and practically falling into Liam's arms at the door. A wave of emotions surged through his body, a mixture of happiness, relief and sadness, he missed Harry already.  
"What the hell? What's happened?" Liam was frantic, leading Louis up the stairs and into his bedroom. Zayn was sat on the bed, sketching and in a world of his own but his eyes flickered up as they entered the room. He threw his sketch pad to the side and approached the two of them, "Louis? What's wrong?" It was nice to have people care about him but he felt slightly embarrassed by the fact he was a blubbering wreck, especially in front of Zayn. They sat him down on the bed, Liam sat beside him and wrapped his arm around his best friend's shoulder, whilst Zayn crouched in front of him, a hand on each knee. Their concern only made Louis' worse.  
"Please, Lou... Tell us what happened! Are you okay?" Liam pleaded and Louis took a deep breath, attempting to compose himself.  
"I've done it, Li. I finished with Katherine and I practically told my mum and dad to go and fuck themselves..."  
"What?" Liam was absolutely flabbergasted, but he couldn't contain his smile. "Shit, Lou! I can't- Why? Why now?"  
"Congratulations man!" Zayn beamed, grabbing hold of Louis' hand and shaking it, vigorously.  
"Harry" Even saying his name out loud was enough to send a shiver down his spine, "Harry kissed me last night, it was... everything I had imagined it to be. I had the chance to tell him and I didn't... I let it slide and because of that, he ran. He fucking ran away from me, Li. If I had just told him, maybe he'd still be here. But instead I made him believe he'd done something wrong".  
"You didn't know he was gonna run away, Louis! And you were just being cautious, coming out is a big enough deal as it is, without the added stress of your parents threatening to take away everything you own. You didn't even know if Harry was interested in you and I don't blame you for holding back, this is all new to you, Louis. But at least now you know the truth. You're in love with him" Liam patted Louis on the back, brimming with pride at his best friends achievement.  
"You should go and get him!" Zayn smiled, a mysterious glint shone from his eyes. "It would be so romantic! Me and Liam would come along, of course... ROAD TRIP!" he was getting carried away with himself, overly excited by the prospect of this turning out to be a beautiful love story but Louis' words soon had him crashing back down to reality, "No, I don't wanna pressure him. I'll give him space. He knows I'm not mad at him, so hopefully he comes home".  
"Have you told him?"  
"Nope. I think it's more of a face to face conversation"  
"Yeah, you're probably right. Well, how about we go out for some celebratory drinks?" Liam suggested, grabbing hold of Louis' cheeks and bringing a smile to his face.  
"I'm game!" "Me too!" 

Turns out; news spreads much faster in a small town. Louis felt all eyes fix onto him as he walked into the local, their attention quickly shifting onto Liam and Zayn who were following closely behind, their fingers entwined. As they took a seat in the corner Louis caught a glimpse of the football lads; he had completely forgotten about the afternoon Chelsea match, assuming that was why they were all gathered here in their shirts. Liam and Zayn made their way over to the bar, leaving Louis sat alone and that's when the boys took their opportunity to approach him. Fennick sat on the seat opposite, whilst Jones and Carter stood beside him; if this was their way of intimidating Louis, it wasn't working. His eyes flickered back and forth between the three lads and he smiled, "Can I help you, gentleman?"  
"I dunno, depends how much you charge for a blowjob!" Fennick piped up; the other two burst into laughter, nudging one another at the pathetic sexual innuendo. Louis rolled his eyes, this was the type of ignorance he would have to deal with now.  
"So, Louis. How many times have you thought about fucking me when we were in the showers?" Carter joined in. Louis got to his feet and squared up to him, he wasn't afraid of these idiots. Never had been, never will be.  
"Listen, _mate_ . I wouldn't think about fucking you if you were the last guy on Earth. The thing is, I prefer my guys to actually have a dick"  
"Ooooohhh" Jones called out, all it took was a quick glance from the other two and he fell silent. Liam and Zayn rushed back over to the table; Liam placed his hand on Carter's chest and pushed him backwards, "Hey, come on guys. Back off".  
"Like we're gonna take orders from a fucking queer"  
That was it; Louis saw red. He lunged past Liam and smacked his fist into Carter's face, he stumbled backwards, yelling out a ridiculous amount of obscene words. Without warning Louis felt a sharp pain surge through his cheek and the next thing he knew he was lay on the floor with Fennick on top of him, throwing punches at his face.  
"Get the fuck off me!" Louis demanded, managing to grab hold of Fennick by the neck and pulling his head into his shoulder. Another surge of pain tore through his calf as Jones threw several kicks at him, it stopped within seconds when Liam dragged the guy away and threw him into the wall.  
"Don't you fucking touch him!" Liam yelled, swinging his fists at the pile on the floor. Fennick wriggled out of Louis' clutch and wrapped his hand around his neck, forcing the air out of his windpipe.  
"I can't believe I let you see me in the shower, do you know how fucking disgusting that is? Knowing you-" he slammed Louis head against the floor, "where perving at me. Sick fuck" he bashed his head against the floor for a second time, he felt his head split, warmth trickling down the back of his skull. Everything was a blur, his eyes were flashing in and out of focus and just when he thought he was about to pass out; Carter released him. A blinding pain was searing through Louis' head; he tried to sit up but he couldn't move. His eyes focused on Zayn, who was dragging Fennick away by his hair; Louis wanted to speak but he couldn't find the energy, it felt as though his head was about to explode. Carter had managed to get back to his feet; he was nursing a broken nose as he stumbled towards Louis, who was still lay on the ground.  
"You don't run this town anymore, Louis Tomlinson. Once everybody knows what you really are... You'll be finished" Carter forced his foot against Louis' face, his jaw crunched and the pain shot up through his cheekbones, it was unbearable.  
The voices surrounding him were muffled.  
All he could make out were the shadows, his eyes unable to fixate on anything.  
And then the darkness ensued.  



	11. Chapter 11

"Guys, honestly... I'm fine. You can go home" Louis sat upright, nursing his jaw. He had suffered from a minor fracture and was currently dosed up on medication; it hurt like hell but he didn't need anyone fussing over him.  
"Louis, we don't mind being here, we're your friends and we just want to keep you company. Besides, if we left you alone you'd just sit around feeling sorry for yourself" Liam reached over and handed Louis his water, "Use the straw".  
"I don't want to..."  
"So you'd rather dribble all over yourself like a big baby?" Zayn asked, pointing at Louis' t-shirt, which was already wet.  
"For fucks sake, you guys have been here for almost 2 days. Just leave me alone for a little bit, please? I just want some peace and quiet!" Louis' tone was harsher than he had expected but it was the truth, he just wanted to be alone for a little while and yes, he planned on moping around and feeling sorry for himself but he was allowed to. The past few days had been horrible; Harry hadn't been in touch at all, Louis' mum and dad had turned up at the hospital and practically disowned him and of course, all of his supposed 'friends' had turned against him and beat the shit out of him. So _excuse_ him for wanting to mope around for once.  
"Fine, Lou. We'll go but you know where we are if you need anything and here's a warning, I'm going to give you a call later to check up on you" Liam leaned over the back of the couch and kissed Louis on the head; he was so protective sometimes and although it came in handy every now and again, Louis didn't want to be treated like a child.  
"I won't answer"  
"If you don't answer, I assure you I'll be round here within a matter of minutes"  
"I won't let you in" Louis huffed, feeling particularly grumpy. Liam and Zayn were the only two people he had left in this world and he was pushing them away, but he couldn't stop. He watched the two of them leave and refused to say goodbye to them, when the front door closed behind them Louis dropped his head into his hands. At first he had wanted Harry to come back but now he was starting to get angry with him; so fucking what if they kissed? Surely if Harry had valued their friendship, even in the slightest, then he wouldn't have ran away, he would have stayed to discuss it and they could have moved past it but what angered Louis the most was the fact that Harry had gone back home. He remembered the night Harry had told him about Nick and how he had blackmailed him; he remembered Harry saying that he couldn't go home. So basically, he had been willing to sleep with Nick to avoid going back home but he kisses Louis and it's the first place he runs back to? What the fuck was that all about? Louis grabbed his phone; he was going to text him and tell him exactly what he thought about him but something stopped him, the sight of Harry's name on the screen. It took Louis a moment to compose himself, he was afraid of what it might say and he couldn't deal with anymore bad news. Eventually he plucked up the courage to unlock the screen, 'Hi Lou. Getting bored of beans on toast yet? x'  
The boy hadn't spoken to him for two days and that's all he gets? Louis' head was in such a mess, ever since Harry had left it felt like his whole world had come crumbling down around him and even though he was angry, he just wanted him to come home. 'It's official. I now hate beans on toast. Miss ur cooking. I miss you'. Louis deleted the last part before he clicked send and was excited to see his phone light up with a reply a minute later. 'Get Katherine 2 cook 4 u x' Here was his chance to tell him everything, texting wasn't his first choice but maybe it would make Harry come home? _Or_ it could frighten him off and he'd never see him again? No, he had to do it face to face, he needed to see Harry's reaction. 'I finished things with Kathy x' Louis typed out, hoping this would spark some questions on Harry's side. A surge of disappointment soon followed when almost half an hour had passed and a reply never came.

The rest of the day went by ever so slowly, Louis spent his time watching highlights from the recent football matches and smoking cigarettes. He was tempted to call Harry on several occasions but had decided against it, it was obvious he didn't want to talk to Louis anymore. As darkness began to descend he finally dragged himself onto his feet and ran himself a hot bath, he lay there in the bubbles thinking about Harry, he could still imagine their lips pressed against one another. That kiss was the only thing able to put a smile on Louis' face, he remembered the way Harry had made him feel so small, lifting him up onto the counter and taking complete control of him. It was almost as if he had turned into a completely different person during that kiss, their roles had reversed and Louis had liked it. Great, now he was hard. Usually Louis would take advantage of this and enjoy himself at Harry's expense but not tonight, it felt wrong. Instead he rinsed his hair and climbed out, wandering into the bedroom in nothing but a towel. The bedroom felt so empty; he wished Harry was there waiting for him. Louis found himself rummaging through Harry's bag, he sprayed some of his aftershave and picked out a large, cream jumper. He felt so pathetic putting it on, but it was so warm and fluffy and it smelled just like Harry. He was so glad nobody was around to see him.  
KNOCK KNOCK.  
For fucks sake Louis thought as he plodded along to the door, it was unexpected but a sudden rush of anxiety took hold of him as he put his hand on the door knob. What if it was Fennick and his crew? Louis had never been frightened of them before... He _wasn't_ frightened of them...  
"Who is it?" he called through the door.  
"Boobear, it's me. Let me in!" his mum whispered in reply. He opened the door, staring directly into the face of a woman who, only hours ago, had told him she never wanted to see him again. Louis was baffled by her sudden appearance but he invited her in, curious to know what it was she wanted. His mum held her arms out, hoping for a hug and Louis shook his head, "Why are you here?" he snapped at her, wanting to hurt her like she had hurt him.  
"Baby, I love you... Your dad's just in shock that's all, he was expecting grandchildren. He didn't mean what he said".  
"Then why isn't he here?"  
"He doesn't know I'm here. He's so cut up about it, Louis. You're our only child and we don't want to lose you..."  
"Mum, stop speaking on his behalf and be honest for once in your life. Dad is ashamed of me, he doesn't want anything to do with me and he has obviously threatened you into playing along. So please leave" he picked out a cigarette from his packet and lit it up, knowing it would annoy his mother and hoping it would make her leave. His plan didn't work, instead she took a seat on the couch and patted the empty space beside her, "I know you're angry with us, Louis... Angry with me, but you know what your dad's like. He's old fashioned, this is all new to him. I just... I don't want you to give up on him"  
"Me give up on him? Mum, for the past 7 years I have had to live a lie just to keep up _his_ appearance! I've had to put up with fake relationships and fake friends and for what? A house? A car? I just couldn't take it anymore mum. I found someone that I love and I mean _really_ love and I've managed to screw things up already and you know why? Because I was too afraid to tell the truth because of you and dad" Louis erupted, how dare she come to his house and plead with him to forgive his father when it was quite obvious his father didn't want forgiveness, he wanted a straight son.  
"You're in love? With.. a _boy_ ?" her emphasis on the word boy was just another reminder of how narrow minded his parents were.  
"Yes mum, a boy. He is everything I'm not, he's honest and kind and generous and I know you would have loved him if I had introduced him as a friend, because the truth is, you can't _not ___fall in love with, Harry".  
"Harry? That's his name? Oh, Louis. I'm so sorry for being a part of this, I wish I could go back and change everything but I can't. I just wanted you to know that I accept you for who you are, I always have" she got to her feet and pulled Louis into a tight embrace, placing her hand onto his fractured jaw and stroking it, gently. Louis pushed her away, he knew she was telling the truth but he didn't care, a mother is supposed to protect her child and she had sat back and watched him suffer for seven years without saying a word. That was not the kind of mother he wanted around him anymore, he was done.  


Alone again. Louis thought coming out would finally make him happy, but he was more miserable than he had ever been before. Louis nestled his nose into the sleeve of Harry's jumper, it smelled of cinnamon and aftershave and Harry, it was rather comforting and yet it brought a twinge of sadness. How could someone be _that_ important that when they're gone, it's impossible to function? Louis lit up another cigarette, it was the only pleasure he had left in his miserable, lonely life and he didn't even enjoy them anymore. Oreo jumped down from the couch; she refused to be near Louis when he was smoking.  
"Fine, get lost!" he yelled after him, throwing his chew toy onto the ground and stretching out his legs. His jaw was aching; he had been talking _way_ too much and needed to rest it up, so he decided that he would take a nap. It was only 7pm and napping at this time wasn't a wise choice but he was tired and ridiculously bored so it was his only option. He scrunched his knees up to his chest and snuggled his head into the pillow, slowly drifting into a peaceful slumber with the sweet scent of Harry Styles filling his nostrils.  
Nick's shop was open again when Louis finally decided to brave the outside world. He parked his Audi up on the front and decided to venture inside; he was hoping to see Nick stood behind the counter, still black and blue from his beating and hanging his head in shame but when Louis walked in he was surprised to see Nick without a scratch on him. He was chatting to Katherine in the corner; the two of them turned and glared at Louis as he approached them. He wasn't sure what he was going to say or what he was going to do, but something was compelling him to go forward.  
"Well, look who it is!" Nick smirked, his eyes scanning over Louis. Katherine hadn't looked away since she spotted him; she looked so angry but he couldn't really blame her. "So Louis, how does it feel?"  
"How does what feel?" he was confused by the whole situation, why was Nick looking so smug?  
"Knowing the boy you love chose me over you? Knowing that I'm the one that gets to fuck him every night" Nick whispered, leaning over into Louis' ear. He stepped back, shocked by Nick's words but there was no way it could be true. Harry wouldn't do that, not after everything Nick put him through. His doubts soon subsided when Harry emerged from the back, he was just as beautiful as Louis remembered. He was wearing one of Nick's shirts, those black skinny jeans that he never took off and a trilby hat which made him look like a banker from the 1950s.  
"Harry? You're not..." Louis didn't even have the chance to finish his sentence when Harry fell into Nick's arms and began to kiss him, it was the same kind of kiss that he had planted onto Louis that night, his hands exploring all of Nick's body as he pushed him up against the wall.  
"No, Harry..." Louis ran towards them, grabbing at Harry's arms. "Don't! He doesn't deserve you... Please" It was impossible to pry them apart; it was almost as if they were glued to one another and Louis couldn't do anything to stop them. He could feel the tears burning his eyelids, that was _his_ Harry, not Nick's... How could he do this?  
"Please Harry... I love you!"  
Louis' eyes shot open, his heart was racing as he sat upright on the couch. A tear was rolling down his cheek, the thought of anybody else touching Harry tore him apart and he had to get the image out of his mind. He pulled himself up and strolled into the kitchen; the remainders of the other night's red wine looked pretty appealing, so he poured himself a glass. He was fully aware of the fact that he wasn't supposed to drink on his medication but right now he was past caring and as the first gulp of red wine slid down his throat he realised he'd made the right decision. Alcohol would never leave him alone, alcohol loved him and he found comfort in the bottom of the bottle.  
"Louis?"  
Louis recognised that voice any day of the week, it was deep and slow and dripped into his ears like smooth chocolate.  
"Harry?"


	12. Chapter 12

It was him. He was really there. A beautiful enigma standing before him, every bit as breathtaking as the first time Louis had ever laid eyes upon him. He didn't want to blink; he was afraid he would vanish and this would all be a dream and he couldn't bare the thought of being away from Harry ever again. Being in his presence made all of his feelings come rushing back, he wanted to take scoop him up in his arms and never let him go.  
"Wait a minute... How did you get in here?" Louis asked, thinking out loud.  
"Oh, I found a spare key under your welcome mat... They do that in films sometimes and thought it was worth checking out" Harry shrugged, almost as if he had said something that made perfect sense.  
"Why didn't you knock?"  
"I wanted to surprise you" Harry's eyes worked their way up and down Louis' body, he suddenly became very aware of the fact that he was wearing Harry's jumper. Great. Well done, Louis. Make things awkward why don't you? Harry didn't say anything about it, instead he strolled towards Louis, ever so cautiously and he grazed his thumb along the cut on Louis' eyebrow. "What happened?" he trailed his fingers down onto Louis' cheek sympathetically and eventually let his hand fall to his side.  
"Long story"  
"I've got all night" Harry took the bottle of wine out of Louis' hand and took hold of it, guiding him into the living room and onto the couch. "Who did that to you?"  
"Harry, I don't really want to get into it..." Yep. He was wimping out. Seeing Harry here in the flesh had caused Louis to have serious doubts about admitting his feelings, what if he screwed things up again and frightened Harry away? And let's be honest why would Harry even like someone like Louis? He was an egotistical, selfish, money orientated, show-off and Harry was a sweet, caring, trustworthy angel, it was never going to work out.  
"Okay... Uhm... Have you eaten?" he was skilled in the art of subject changing and Louis really appreciated that; it was nice to have him back.  
"I've had beans on toast for lunch"  
"I thought you were fed up with beans on toast?"  
"I am! It's just... When you can't cook anything else it doesn't really give you a lot of options!"  
"Right, come with me! I'm going to teach you how to make chilli con carne, okay?" Harry pulled Louis onto his feet and back into the kitchen, he started to write a little list out on the back of a post-it note and then he thrust it into Louis' hands, "Get them ingredients out for me".  
"I don't even know if I have this stuff in"  
"Well check!" Harry demanded, shooeing Louis away towards the cupboards. Normally, Louis would _hate_ to be bossed around but with Harry, he found it a little bit of a turn on, so he scurried around following his orders and plodded back to Harry with an armful of ingredients, desperate to please. Louis couldn't remember it ever being this easy with someone; they had been apart for almost a week and left things on rather awkward terms and yet, here they were, cooking a meal together as though nothing had ever happened.  
"Right, get your butt over here Mister Tomlinson. Your first job is to defrost the mince... You know how to do that, right?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrow and being completely patronising. Fuck it was hot.  
"Yes?" Louis found himself asking a question, rather than answering one. The truth was, he had _no_ idea how to defrost the mince or defrost anything for that matter, in fact he was completely useless and Harry was about to see that. Instead of passing judgement on Louis, he took him over to the microwave and pointed out what it was he had to do, then he stayed to watch Louis follow his instructions. When he turned around Harry was beaming at him, he looked so proud and it was pretty pathetic really, but Louis kind of enjoyed it, he felt like a child who had just brought home a grade A school report.  
"Give that six minutes and then we'll take it out and pop it in the pan. See, it's not that difficult if you just pay attention" Harry booped him on the nose. He fucking booped him on the nose and it was the cutest thing Louis had ever seen. It took him completely by surprise and a huge smile erupted on his face, he must have looked like a complete dork but Harry had this effect on him and it was starting to grow on him.  
"Hey, don't look too happy! We haven't even started the difficult part. Oh, and could you take that jumper off? It's just... it's one of my favourites and I'd hate to get sauce on it..."  
Great. He _had_ noticed the fact that Louis was wearing his jumper. He was so embarrassed.  
"Yeah, of course.. I couldn't find anything to wear and grabbed the first thing I could find... Didn't realise it was yours". It was so obvious he was lying, he couldn't even look Harry in the eyes.  
"And the fact it's literally two times bigger than you didn't make you realise?" Harry tugged at the sleeves, pulling them down even further and burying Louis hands inside. He couldn't think of anything to say in retaliation, so he scurried off into the bedroom to take the jumper off, cursing at himself.  


Louis stood at the kitchen door for a while, watching Harry flit from one thing to another, completely effortless. He listened as Harry hummed away to himself, tapping his foot along to the tune with about as much rhythm and coordination as a baby deer on a frozen lake. It was adorable. Louis found himself creeping up behind Harry and stretching onto his tiptoes to rest his head on his shoulder, he did so without giving it a second thought but as Harry tensed up at his action, Louis soon pulled away.  
"How about you go and set the table?" Harry asked, turning around to face him, their bodies only inches apart.  
"Can't we just have it on our knee? Watch some telly"  
"No! I thought it would be nice to have a proper meal and a catch up, I wanna know what you've been up to and I want to know about that" he brushed his thumb along Louis' eyebrow again, he was so gentle it almost felt as if he wasn't even touching him. Being here, in this moment with Harry, made everything else worthwhile. He wasn't sure what he had done to deserve this boy but he certainly wasn't going to question it, Harry was the only thing that kept him going.  
"Fine, lets do all the things that _you_ wanna do!" Louis winked, proud of his Ace Ventura impersonation. Harry giggled, mission accomplished. "Can I have a cig first? Please sir?"  
"Smoking whilst I'm cooking? Really?"  
Louis pouted his lips and reached out for his cigarette packet, giving Harry his best puppy dog look. It was one he had perfected over the years with his mum and it had worked almost every time. Harry smiled and shook his head, unable to resist the look.  
"Fine but open the back door"  
Louis did as he was told, sparking up his cigarette and blowing the smoke out into the frosty night air. Every now and again he would cast a quick glance over at his curly haired beloved who was deep in concentration and completely caught up in his food preparation. Louis loved it at night, it was so peaceful in his neighbourhood and the only sound that filled the air was that of the wildlife in the surrounding area. Harry joined him at the back door, appreciating the silence and staring up at the stars. His green eyes reflected the moonlight and it was truly breathtaking; Louis couldn't seem to look away. Harry curled his fingers around Louis' cigarette and pulled it up towards his mouth, taking a slow drag from it and then blowing the smoke into Louis' face.  
"Does that look sexy to you? Me smoking?" Harry quizzed him and Louis' first thought was fuck, yes. Incredibly sexy. He wanted to feel the mixture of smoke and Harry's sweet, gentle breath against every inch of his body.  
"I don't smoke to look sexy, Harold. I smoke because I like it" he snatched the cigarette back.  
"Is that why Katherine split up with you? She got fed up of your dirty smoking habit?" Harry teased, obviously fishing for information. Louis didn't feel ready to spill the beans just yet, he didn't want to ruin this night. He just wanted to appreciate Harry coming home and enjoy his company without making things extremely uncomfortable between the two of them again.  
"Excuse me? I think you'll find it was _me_ that split up with her"  
"And why was that, Lou?"  
"It just wasn't working out... Didn't feel right" Louis shrugged, offering Harry a vague reply so that he could avoid anymore questions.  
"It looked as though it was working out just fine the other week when I walked in on you guys"   
Wait, what was that? A tinge of jealousy in his tone? Louis wasn't sure how to reply to that last comment, no matter what he said he was going to look like a complete arsehole so he opted for the trusty shoulder shrug. He flicked his cigarette out into the garden and made his way past Harry to grab the cutlery. "I'll go and set up the table"  
Harry had forced Louis to stay out of the way as he dished up the meal, he muttered something about him getting in the way and shooed him into the living room.  
"Here, sit down. I'll bring it out in a minute" he pulled the chair out, gesturing for Louis to take a seat. He parked his bum down onto the cold wood and smiled to himself as Harry scooched him in towards the table, he felt like a princess. "I shall make you a cup of tea and bring it out in a minute" Harry said, stroking his hand along Louis' back, before turning to walk away.   
"A cup of tea? I have some wine left in the cupboard, pour me some of that please"  
Harry strolled over to the table beside the couch and picked up a packet of painkillers; he tapped the packet and frowned, he didn't even need to say anything. Damn Harry Styles and his observational skills. Louis sighed and respected Harry's wishes, now that he was back he didn't feel like he needed a drink and that was a positive moment for Louis. After several minutes of being sat at the table alone, Harry emerged from the kitchen with a cup of tea and a plateful of chilli con carne which looked and smelled delicious. He was so lucky.  
"Tuck in" Harry smiled, placing the plate in front of Louis.  
"No thanks, I'll wait for you to join me"  
"Ever the gentleman" Harry winked, rushing off to grab his plate.  
When Harry returned the two of them started off by discussing Harry's culinary skills, which somehow turned into Harry teasing Louis for being completely useless at cooking and cleaning and claiming that he would be a sucky housewife.  
"Hey! I may not be able to cook and clean, but I assure you I have my own ways of being a good housewife"  
"I bet you do" Harry replied, unable to contain a smile.   
Now, Louis wasn't a master at reading body language but surely the fact Harry had licked his lips whilst gazing at Louis wasn't completely innocent, especially not in reply to a sexual innuendo. Harry didn't take his eyes off Louis as he slowly pushed a fork full of food into his mouth. "Umm, so.." Louis tried his best to come up with a new topic, he needed to push all thoughts of forcing something else into Harry's mouth, right to the back of his mind. "What did you get up to whilst you was at home? How's your mum and Gemma? They good?" Okay, he had crammed way too many questions into that sentence.  
"Yeah, they're good. They were happy to see me, surprised... but happy and I didn't do much, literally spent most of my time at home with Mum and Gem, was nice to be around them and just enjoy their company. I'm guessing you haven't had a very good time why I've been gone?" It was strange watching a smile spread across Harry's face at the mention of his family and yet a hint of sadness appeared in his eyes, two completely conflicting emotions on one face.   
"I've had a wonderful week without you... Nobody to boss me about or tell me off for throwing my dirty clothes on the bathroom floor. It's been great." Louis' went with his trusty companion, sarcasm, helping him to avoid uncomfortable questions since 1991. It was completely unexpected but a wave of confidence surged through Louis' body and even though he didn't want to discuss his issues, he was desperate to know more about Harry's.   
"Harry?" He couldn't believe he was about to do this but he had to know, he _had_ to know why Harry felt like he couldn't go home with the Nick situation but it was the first place he ran to after their kiss. "Why did you run away after..." Come on, Louis. You can do this. "Why did you go home? When you told me you couldn't after Nick blackmailed you? I just... I don't get it"  
Harry looked up from his plate, completely caught off guard by Louis' question. He was already regretting asking him.  
"Lou..." he sighed, oh no. Louis wasn't sure he even wanted to hear the answer. Why had he asked that fucking question? "It's difficult to answer that... The stuff with Nick, well I had you and I thought I could deal with that as long as I had you but when I did that... When I crossed the line with you, I just had to get away. I couldn't face you being angry at me and I thought I had ruined everything between us so my only option was to go home, even though I really wanted to stay"  
Oh Harry, don't you get it? Why couldn't he acknowledge the fact that Louis hadn't pushed him away? Why hadn't he realised that Louis enjoyed that kiss just as much as he did? This was another opportunity for Louis to tell the truth, another chance to explain to Harry that he just so happened to be completely in love with him and had been hiding his sexuality for 8 years but yet again he found himself unable to get the words out. He really was pathetic. He was letting Harry slip through his fingers, time and time again.  
"It just frightened me how much I wanted to kiss you that night and I had to get away, clear my head... You're my straight best friend and you were in a relationship and I'd thrown myself at you and I'm sorry, Lou. I really mean it... I guess I was just screwed up after the whole Nick thing... and you... you're just so kind to me. You accept me for who I am, you make me feel good about myself and you never expect anything in return and I've never really had that. I'm so glad I have you as a friend, Lou and I hope I haven't screwed things up between us"  
Okay, that was it. He was going to tell him.  
BANG BANG.  
"LOUIS? OPEN THE DOOR RIGHT NOW, WHAT DID I TELL YOU?"  
Liam fucking Payne in the arse, always trusted to ruin the moment.   
Louis excused himself from the table and opened the front door, unable to stop Liam from barging past him. Zayn followed closely behind, mouthing the word 'sorry' repeatedly. The two of them froze at the sight of Harry sat down at the table, he waved at them awkwardly and cast a baffled glance in Louis' direction.  
"What did I tell you, Louis? You haven't replied to my text in over _three_ hours but now I can see why..." Liam had a smug grin on his face as he glanced back and forth between Harry and Louis, trying to read the situation. "You know what, Harry? I'm so glad you're back. Louis has been a pathetic mess without you and he's been having a rough time." Liam wrapped his arm around Louis, genuinely happy for his friend. Louis wanted him to stop there, he had a really bad feeling about this situation he had found himself in. He had been so close to telling Harry the truth. Damn it, Liam.  
"Yeah, he told me about splitting up with Katherine" Harry piped up.   
"Yep. I've never seen him like this with anyone before, Harry. He's given up everything for you, it's took him 8 years to come out but he's finally-" Louis slammed his hand across Liam's mouth, but the damage had already been done.   
Oh fuck, he had read the situation completely wrong. Louis felt his palms begin to sweat, he stared back at Liam with a look of despair and plucked up the courage to glance over at Harry, who had completely frozen. His mouth was hanging open, he had a fork full of food hovering above his plate and his face was all scrunched up.  
"What?" Harry asked, dropping his fork and staring over at Louis, who was trying his very best to avoid eye contact. Zayn slapped Liam's arm and shot him a look which obviously translated to 'Liam, you are a complete idiot. What have you done?' Harry was now on his feet, still unable to peel his eyes away from Louis'. This is not how he had wanted Harry to find out, he had wanted to be the one to tell him because now he looked like a lying arsehole.  
"Louis' gay?"  



	13. Chapter 13

There was literally no way out, the walls felt as though they were closing in around him. His heart was thumping against his chest, his mouth was dry and his eyes were fixated on Harry; everything else was a blur. He could hear Liam trying to mend the situation but Louis couldn't make out what he was saying, his ears were ringing. Harry had a look of complete disbelief sprawled across his face; this moment right now, was literally hell on earth.  
"Come on, Liam... Louis, we're gonna go" Zayn grabbed hold of Liam's arm and patted Louis' on his way to the front door. "Nice seeing you again, Harry"  
"I'm so sorry, Louis... I thought-" Liam fell silent, he knew he'd fucked up. "If you need me, text me"  
Once Liam and Zayn had left an eerie silence filled the room, the two of them were stood opposite one another, neither of them sure what to say. Louis knew he would have to say something, Harry deserved to know the truth.  
"You're gay..." Harry managed to say, breaking into the silence.  
"Okay... Harry you have to-"  
"You're gay and you like me..." he interrupted, not a single emotion in his voice. Louis was finding it extremely difficult to read Harry, he wasn't sure whether he was angry or happy about it but he didn't want to assume anything, he had to avoid doing anything to make this situation worse.  
"Harry, I was going to tell you... It's just... there's so much more to this. You have to let me explain-"  
"When I caught you staring at me in the shower... When I came home and found you in my jumper... When you asked me to stay in bed with you that night... It all makes sense now" Harry had taken a step closer with each sentence, driving away the space between them. Louis could feel his cheeks burning up, this was most definitely one of the most embarrassing moments he had ever had to endure in all of his life. How was Harry managing to stay so calm?  
"I know I shouldn't have lied to you.. I was scared, Harry. This is all new to me.. I've never-"  
Harry leapt towards Louis, slamming him up against the wall, literally knocking Louis' unfinished sentence back into his throat. He took hold of Louis' tiny wrists and pinned him up, their faces were within inches of one another. Harry towered over him, he leaned down and planted a soft kiss onto Louis' neck, working his way up towards Louis' jawline, causing him to flinch.  
"So, you want this?" Harry whispered, brushing his lips across Louis' and leaving him desperate for more.  
"Yeah" he managed to say, even though he felt completely breathless.  
"I need you to say it, Lou. Say that you want it..."  
"I want it, Harry. I want you" and within seconds Harry's tongue worked it's magic in Louis' mouth, exploring every part of it. He lifted Louis' arms up above his head, managing to keep hold of both wrists with just one hand. His other hand trailed up Louis' t-shirt, leaving goosebumps in his wake. He took hold of Louis' cheeks, his thumbs pressing into Louis' jaw.  
"Shit, Haz. My jaw..." Louis pulled back, cradling his jaw as Harry released him.  
"Lou... I'm sorry" he nuzzled his face into Louis' neck and wrapped his arms around him, burying Louis with his body. How was it possible for someone to be so gentle and caring, yet so overpowering and forceful? Louis couldn't quite understand.  
"Did I hurt you?" he asked, his eyes wide with fear.  
"It's okay, you didn't mean to. I fractured it, so it's pretty painful" Harry had a look of horror on his face at those words and he pulled Louis' into him again, kissing the top of his head as if he was a delicate little flower. "I got attacked, Haz"  
"What? Why? Who did that to you?"  
"A bunch of the football lads... They found out I was gay and lets just say they weren't very happy about it. They came in causing trouble and I wasn't going to take it"  
"I hope they came off worse than you?" Harry tried to make a joke out of it, masking the anger that was bubbling up inside of him.  
"Of course... You've seen my moves, Harold!" Louis forced a weak smile onto his face. What was happening between the two of them? What had that kiss meant? Did Harry feel the same? Was he angry at Louis? There were so many questions floating through his mind, he wanted to ask them all but he didn't want to ruin the moment. He was so pissed off about his jaw, he had waited for so long to kiss Harry and now he had the chance and it hurt way too much for him to be able to power through it.  
"Wanna go lie down?" Harry suggested, holding out his hand. Louis didn't need to answer, he wanted nothing more than to cuddle up in those arms and feel the gentle rhythm of Harry's heartbeat against his ear drums. The two of them walked into the bedroom, standing either side of the bed and staring at one another. Harry was the first one to pull off his shirt, so Louis mirrored his actions until eventually the two of them were in their underwear. They climbed under the duvet; Louis shuffled up closer,slotting himself underneath Harry's arm. His body was so warm, their bare skin sparking heat between the covers, Harry's free hand became sprawled across Louis' chest and the two of them smiled, this was perfect.  
"Come on then, Lou. I wanna hear the story... I want to know why you couldn't tell me you were gay and I want to know why the hell you had a girlfriend?"  
Okay, this was the moment Louis had been dreading, this was the moment he had to open up to someone new about all his deep dark secrets and make himself look like a money orientated loser who would much rather have a house and a car than freedom. He was hoping Harry would understand.  
"You won't hate me?"  
"Lou, I could never hate you" he whispered, nudging his nose against Louis' reassuringly.  
"Well, I suppose I should start from the very beginning..." Over the next couple of hours Louis poured his heart out, explaining how he had attempted to come out at fifteen but had been forced to keep quiet by his parents. He told Harry how his father would introduce him to girls that he was then expected to date and in return Louis would receive expensive gifts such as; his Audi R8 and his home. Louis felt so vulnerable as he told Harry about the fact he would sneak off to a pub outside of town to meet up with guys and how it made him feel alive, even if it was just for the one night. Throughout Louis' admissions, Harry remained silent, he listened to everything he had to say and every now and again he would run his fingers down Louis' arm, just to remind him that he wasn't going anywhere.  


"Hurry up, Lou! Your hair looks fine!" Harry sighed, appearing behind him in the bathroom mirror and resting his head upon his shoulder. Louis carried on playing with his fringe, it wasn't playing ball today and he accepted defeat. "You look great" he added, pushing a strand of hair off Louis' forehead.  
Louis was so fucking nervous, this was his first outing since the assault and he wasn't sure how the rest of the town would react to his recent admission. Harry grabbed onto his hand and gave it a tight squeeze, almost as if he could read Louis' mind.  
"Come on, Liam and Zayn will be waiting for us" Harry lead him out of the bathroom and towards the front door, keeping a tight grip on his hand as they stepped outside for everyone to see. Neither of them had discussed the situation in any depth, it's not like they were an official couple but Louis didn't want to be with anyone else and it felt like Harry was on the same wavelength. Liam and Zayn were literally brimming with pride as the two of them strolled towards the car hand in hand, it wasn't until Louis opened the door that he realised there was someone else in the back. He had such a baby face and Louis' assumed he couldn't be any older than seventeen; his blue eyes were warm and friendly and his smile was so inviting it was difficult not to smile back at him.  
"Oh, Lou this is Niall! Niall, Lou... and that's Harry" Liam introduced them all.  
"Nice teh meet ya" Hmm, Irish. One of Louis' favourite accents. "Nice teh know I'm gonna be the fifth wheel" he laughed at his own joke as Louis and Harry squashed into the back seat beside him.  
"Nice to meet you too, Niall" Harry reached over and offered his hand, which Niall took almost immediately.  
"I'm sorry, I have to ask this... How old are you?" Louis piped up, worried he was going to be entering a pub with someone underage. He couldn't afford to get into anymore trouble.  
"I'm twenty mate. Everyone tinks I'm younger, apparently I got a baby face!" his laugh was so infectious. Louis liked him already.  
When the five of them arrived at the pub Niall was the first to jump in and offer to buy the drinks, the rest of the boys found themselves a table and sat down. The place was pretty empty which was a huge relief to Louis, it's not that he was ashamed of who he was but he really couldn't be bothered with anymore hassle, he just wanted things to be easy. It felt strange having Harry's arm draped around his shoulder in public, he found himself glancing around the room to check if anybody was looking but with the coast clear he managed to relax.  
"Are you okay with this?" Harry whispered, tapping his fingers against Louis' shoulder.  
"Yeah, it's nice..."  
"Honestly guys, I'm so sorry about last night but hey, I guess my meddling worked out in your favour" Liam smiled and nudged Zayn, who rolled his eyes. Niall made his way back to the table with a tray full of shots, he slammed them down on the table and pulled up a stool, a devilish grin on his face.  
"Right, it's time t' get drunk" Niall yelled, downing the first shot of vodka and handing the rest of them out. "Come on, keep up!"  
And so the rest of the boys took their first shot, Louis scrunched up his nose at the taste. He hated vodka. Harry watched him intently, laughing as Louis' downed another shot and clamped his eyes shut as the warm liquid flowed down his throat.  
"Ugh that's vile!" Louis refused the third shot which resulted in Niall calling him a wimp and throwing a gentle punch at his arm. The boys carried on drinking over the next couple of hours, until every single one of them became worse for wear. Niall was harassing the barman to set up a karaoke system, Zayn had fallen asleep on the seat and Liam was reminiscing about the good old days with Louis and Harry. Louis had heard these stories so many times before, of course he was a huge part of most of them but Harry was so intrigued by this information, desperate to hear all about Louis and Liam's past.  
"I wish I had gone to school with you guys..." Harry said, letting out a disappointed smile.  
"Nah, you wouldn't want to get caught up with a bunch of idiots like us!" Louis laughed, fist bumping Liam. It felt as if they were fifteen again.  
"Well I'm here now aren't I?"  
"Cheeky!" Louis smiled, leaning in and giving Harry a gentle kiss on the lips. He pulled away soon after, quickly realising what he had done. His eyes worked their way around the room to make sure nobody had seen. Before he had the chance to check the whole pub Harry grabbed hold of Louis' neck and pulled him back, slowly pressing his lips against Louis'. It was so slow and passionate that all of Louis' previous thoughts vanished, he got lost in Harry.  
"Well, look who it is" came a familiar voice. As Louis pulled away he noticed the look of fear on Harry's face, he spun around to see Nick towering over him and to make matters worse he was with Katherine and a bunch of her friends. Great.  
"So you're _actually_ gay now or are you just so use to getting what you want that you fancied a change of scenery?" Nick's sarcasm cut through Louis like a knife, he could already feel the anger bubbling inside of him. It was Harry's hand on his knee that brought him back down to Earth, he looked into those big green eyes filled with sadness and decided against arguing back. This only made matters worse. Nick gripped onto Louis' shoulder and forced him back around, bringing him face to face with Katherine who was crying.  
"Look at her, Louis! You fucking arsehole! I don't know why... but she loved you..."  
"Listen, Nick. I don't know what the fuck this has to do with you but I didn't intend on hurting anyone, I like Katherine... She's a great girl and I'm sorry it didn't work out" he cast an apologetic glance in her direction and she looked away, unable to give him eye contact. "Honestly, Kathy... I am sorry"  
All of a sudden Niall came bouncing across the room, he pushed past Nick and wrapped his arms around Harry and Louis, "Is there a problem here boys?" his eyes burning on to Nick and his gang. Nobody offered an explanation as to what was going on, so Niall jumped up and gave Nick a slight push backwards. "I suggest you fuck off"  
"Niall, come on. Stay out of it, it's fine" Louis was quick to react, dragging Niall backwards and towards Liam, who was also on his feet. The whole thing began to escalate as Katherine reached across to grab Louis' drink, she threw the remains of his corona into his face and it began to sting his eyes immediately.  
"Hey, he said sorry... Leave us alone" Harry piped up, wrapping a protective arm around Louis' and pulling him into his chest.  
"Get lost, Harry! I knew I didn't like you from the moment I met you... You've caused nothing but trouble for me. You know what? You two deserve each other"  
"Fine, Katherine. You're entitled to your own opinion now can we leave it at that?" Louis said, trying to mend the situation whilst rubbing his eyes, hoping to regain his vision. All he had wanted was to spend the night with his friends and enjoy their company but it seemed that was impossible now he had finally come out of the closet. It was 2013, why weren't people more accepting? Katherine turned and walked away, some of the girls following after her. It appeared as though the situation was about to diffuse, that was until Nick leaned in to Louis' ear, "What's it like knowing you're kissing a mouth that's been wrapped around my cock?"  
RED. That was all he could see as he launched himself on top of Nick, his fists colliding with that smug face of his again and again.  
"Louis, don't!" Harry pleaded, attempting to pull him away. Louis was too mad, he didn't want to stop. He shoved Harry away and wrapped his hands around Nick's neck.  
"What's it like knowing my face is the last thing you're going to fucking see?" Louis hissed, watching the colour drain out of Nick's cheeks. Several people were mentioning the word police but Louis didn't care... How fucking dare he bring that up, the thought of it made his stomach churn and he wasn't going to let him get away with it. Now he knew all the details of what he did to Harry he couldn't get the image out of his mind. He slammed Nick's head against the concrete, revenge tasted so sweet. Louis' felt Nick's hands wrap around his wrists, desperate for air. He released his hands from around Nick's neck and was just about to throw another punch when Louis felt himself hauled into the air and thrown against the wall. Liam pinned him up, "Louis, you need to calm down! Come on, we have to get out of here... The police are coming."  
"Get off me, Liam! I'm going to fucking kill him! You didn't hear what he said to me! You don't know what he's done!" Louis shouted. It wasn't until he spotted Harry over Liam's shoulder that the reality of what he'd just done hit him like a tonne of bricks. Harry's eyes were filled with fear as he glanced down at Nick's face and then back up to Louis, who was still pinned up against the wall. Oh god, Harry was scared of him. What had he done?  
"I-I'm sorry... Harry..." but before he had the chance to finish Harry dashed out of the pub without looking back. It was only seconds later when the police arrived, they assessed the situation pretty quickly and a couple of witnesses pointed Louis out to them. The next thing he knew he was face down on the cold, hard floor with his hands wrapped up in handcuffs. As they lifted him back onto his feet and read him his rights, he cast his eyes down towards Nick, who was lying in a pool of blood, surrounded by friends and another police officer. Okay, maybe he had gone too far. They lead him out towards the door, Liam, Zayn and Niall could do nothing but watch, disappointment on their faces.  
"Don't worry, Lou! We'll sort this... It'll be fine!" Liam called after him as they pushed his head down into the back of the police car. Louis glanced out of the window to see Harry staring back at him from a bench, he didn't smile or wave as Louis drove away, instead he got to his feet and walked in the other direction.  
Here he was sat in the back of a police car with tears streaming down his face, the look of horror in Harry's eyes was etched into Louis' mind. He'd really fucked things up this time.  



	14. Chapter 14

Louis had never felt more alone in his entire life, the four walls of a holding cell where the only thing keeping him company. His head was pounding, he had cried for over three hours and was so drained, he was pretty sure he was dehydrated. Nobody had checked on him since his arrival, for all they knew he could be dead inside this cell. Okay, he was being dramatic but he felt like he deserved to be, this was the worst night of his life. He had beaten Nick to within an inch of his life, he had witnessed a look of sheer disappointment on all three of his friends faces and worse of all he had made Harry believe he was a violent thug and now he was scared of him. Louis was so fucking angry with himself, this was everything he deserved. Harry was far too good for him anyway, he deserved to be with someone who would look after him and make sure he always had a smile on his face. Louis smashed his fist against the wall, forcing all of his anger out and transferring it into pain. His knuckles began to throb but it didn't make him stop, his fist collided against the wall one more time until something crunched.  
"Ow. Fuck. Shit. Jesus!" he cursed, cradling his hand and falling back onto the rock solid mattress. A gentle tapping at the door startled Louis, he glanced upwards to see an officer peering through the flap on the door.  
"You okay in there?"  
"Yes. I'm fine!" Louis replied, trying his best to cover up the wound on his knuckles. A key clicked in the door and the officer swung it open, instantly noticing the patch of blood on the wall. He approached Louis with caution and pulled on some latex gloves, "Let me have a look at that" he took hold of Louis' small hand and investigated the damage. "Right, we're gonna have to get that checked out. GUYS? WE NEED A MEDIC IN HERE!"  
"No, honestly it's fine.. It's just a scratch"  
"It looks broken to me, pal. You're not supposed to punch walls you know?" the officer joked, there was something comforting in his tone. "But then again, you're not supposed to punch other people, are you?" he sat down beside Louis and beckoned the medic towards them as he entered the cell. Louis felt like a prize idiot but he couldn't help but think this officer had a soft spot for him. The medic cleaned out his wound and bandaged up his hand whilst giving him a good old telling off. Once the medic had left, Louis lay back onto his bed and pulled his knees up into his chest. Hadn't they ever heard of a blanket in this place? The young officer made his way to the door, turning back towards Louis and offering him a friendly smile before he left. "Get some rest"  
It took a while for Louis to drift off, he found himself thinking about Harry and those big green eyes, filled with sadness and fear. Louis had done exactly what Nick had done, he had brought nothing but trouble into Harry's life. He couldn't believe he'd thrown it all away so quickly, he had never been in love before and everyone made mistakes but Louis' had made enough to last a lifetime, all within the space of a few months. After what felt like hours, Louis managed to fall asleep.  
When Louis opened his eyes the next morning his eyes immediately made their way around the cold, damp cell and he sighed, for a moment he thought everything was back to normal but he couldn't have been more wrong. He had no idea what time it was or how long he had managed to sleep for but his neck was so stiff from that horrific mattress and his knuckles were still throbbing. His thought soon averted to Harry, he wondered what he was doing right now... Would he be at home, cooking breakfast for himself in nothing but his underwear? Or would he be curled up underneath Louis' duvet, crying to himself? No, Louis couldn't even allow himself to think about the latter...  
"Hey! Tomlinson? Come on, you can get out of here" an older officer came into his cell this time, his tone was harsh and from the way he scooped Louis up from off the bed he knew this guy was nothing like the officer from last night.  
"What? How?" Louis was baffled, surely he was going to get charged for this?  
"Somebody paid your bail" he replied, pushing Louis into the reception area and leaving him face to face with his father. Fantastic.  
"Dad?"  
"Come on" his father replied, pulling Louis out of the station as quickly as possible. The two of them walked to the car in silence and it wasn't until both doors were closed that Louis' father turned to face him, "What the hell are you doing, Louis? Is this your way of punishing me?"  
"Do you know what dad? For once, this _isn't_ about you"  
"Well, maybe it should be. I am the mayor of this town, Louis for goodness sake. Firstly, you decide to shame me by coming out as gay and then you viciously assault someone in a local pub because you're a drunken mess, I don't know who you are anymore"  
"No dad. You've never known who I am because you've never been willing to accept the person I wanted to be... I've had to live a lie for you and I'm tired, dad. I didn't ask you to come and bail me out. I don't want anything from you anymore, you can take the house, the car, all my clothes, ANYTHING. I don't want to owe you" Louis reached out to open the car door and climbed out, he cast a quick glance back at his father, waiting for him to say something but it came as no surprise when his father refused to even look back at him. Louis slammed the car door and started the long walk home, hoping he would find Harry back at the house and hoping he could make it up to him.  


Louis managed to creep into the house almost silently, he was hoping if Harry was there he could spring up on him and force him to talk, he had to apologise. Louis flicked off his shoes and made his way into the kitchen; it was empty. He turned around and went to check out the rest of the house until eventually he caught a glimpse of some wild, brown curls peering out from underneath the duvet on Louis' bed.  
"Harry?" he whispered, taking a seat at the edge of the mattress, he tugged on the duvet ever so slightly to reveal the top half of Harry's face. He was awake but he was completely ignoring him. "Please, Haz. Please talk to me? I'm so sorry about last night. I took it too far... He just gets under my skin and then he-"  
"Go away, Lou"  
"Harry please" he traced his fingers lightly against Harry's forehead and he quickly ducked back underneath the covers. This was torture. "I know I took things too far this time... I just get so angry, Harry. When I think about what he did to you..."  
"But don't you get it, Lou? You made yourself look just as bad as he is. I didn't even recognise you last night" he peered back out at Louis with those big green eyes of his, they were welling up with tears again and all Louis wanted to do was take him in his arms and make it all better. He tried to run his fingers through Harry's curls but he swatted him away again and shuffled backwards on the bed, building up the distance between the two of them. Louis had to make him listen, if he could just explain then maybe Harry would forgive him. He clambered on top of Harry, pinning his legs down and grabbing onto his wrists and then something happened that literally snapped Louis' heart in two. Harry flinched. He fucking flinched as Louis had grabbed him... Did he think Louis would hurt him? The two of them were completely frozen in position, Harry's eyes hadn't even flickered away from Louis' face.  
"Oh my god" Louis whispered, as he got back onto his feet and glanced down at this fragile boy lay on his bed.  
"Lou" he breathed, reaching out his hand. He was obviously regretting his actions but it didn't matter to Louis', nothing could take that moment back. Harry had thought he was going to hit him and he couldn't handle that. Louis scurried away into the bathroom, he slammed the door shut behind him and slid down onto the floor. The tears appeared within an instant and he buried his head into his knees.  
"Louis? Let me in..." Harry was standing on the other side of the door, tapping his knuckles against the wood in a soft rhythm. Louis couldn't face him; he would have to take refuge in his bathroom until he left. "I'm not going to go away... You wanted to talk, so lets talk"  
"What's the point? You not worried I'm gonna hit you?"  
"Lou, I didn't mean to... It's just-" his voice trailed off, Louis heard him slide along the door and onto the floor at the other side.  
"It's just what, Harry? I would _never_ hurt you and if you don't know that then what are we even doing here?"  
"I know you wouldn't... I hope you wouldn't"  
"I heard you that night, Harry" Louis flashed back to that first night in their bed, he had been so drunk and Harry had held him until he fell asleep. "You asked me not to hurt you. Why would you say that? Why would you even think-"  
"Well if you came out here to talk to me then... then I'll tell you"  
He had to go out, he needed to know Harry Styles in all his entirety, good _and_ bad. Louis took a deep breath and turned the door handle, he had opened it merely an inch wide when Harry pushed it backwards and stepped inside. He locked the door behind him, trapping the two of them in a confined space with no escape. Harry brushed past Louis and sat on the edge of the bath, his eyes staring down at the ground and he was fidgeting with his fingers, a clear sign he was nervous about something.  
"Go on, you first" Harry urged. Louis took a seat on the cold floor in front of him, he wanted nothing more than to curl up on his lap and feel the warmth of his breath against his skin but it didn't look like that was going to happen anytime soon.  
"I'll say it again, I'm sorry. Nick said something to me and it just-"  
"What did he say?"  
It was strange, Louis had thought about Harry in so many dirty ways but saying those words out loud to him felt wrong, his delicate ears shouldn't have to hear things like that. The only way he was going to get Harry's trust back was to be completely honest with him, so he couldn't leave out the catalyst for the attack and maybe if he heard what Nick had said then he would be more understanding as to why Louis took such drastic actions.  
"Okay, he said..." Louis cleared his throat, "what's it like knowing you're kissing a mouth that's been around my cock?" As those words came out Harry gasped, he bit down on his bottom lip and shielded his face, hiding the shame and hurt of those horrible memories.  
"Oh..." was all he managed to say and Louis couldn't take it, he shifted closer and wrapped his arms around one of Harry's legs, like a clingy child desperate for their mother's attention. This time he didn't move away or push Louis off him, instead he dropped a hand down to Louis' face and lifted up his chin so that they were staring into one another's eyes.  
"Lou, I'm not scared of you... I trust you, it's just watching you the other night, it-" he paused for a moment, "it's just it brought back old memories. I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of that kind of beating, I've seen someone look at me with that kind of anger and it's just, I didn't think you were capable of it... And that's how it started with Craig"  
"Craig?" Louis questioned, he wasn't able to process anything else that Harry had just said. He couldn't even bare to think about it. This time he didn't feel angry, he felt sad and the image of Harry being beaten by a complete monster was enough to bring tears to his eyes.  
"Don't cry for me, Lou" he wiped away a tear from Louis' cheek, "I thought it was my fault back then... Like I deserved it. We were together for two years and he made me feel like... Like nobody else would ever love me. The first time he hit me he was drunk and he said it wouldn't happen again but walking into work the next day with a fat lip was horrible, it was like everyone knew. Then the next time I had a black eye... Nobody ever asked. Nobody ever tried to help, Lou. I never told my mum or Gemma... If I had a mark on me that was visible I wouldn't go home, I'd have to stay at his house  & every time he had hit me he felt like his way of apologising was-" Harry cut off again, his hands gripping onto his knees so hard, his knuckles began to turn white. No. Louis didn't want to hear this. His heart was breaking as he watched the boy he loved fall to pieces before him and there was nothing he could do to make it better.  
"You don't have to say it, Harry" Louis leaned up onto his knees and grabbed hold of Harry's face, the glint in those big green eyes had faded and were drowning in tears. Louis kissed him, he wanted to show him how much he meant, he wanted to prove that he was worthy of someone loving him.  
"I need to say it, Lou. I've held it in for so long, I've never faced up to what happened..." Harry dropped down onto the floor next to Louis and sidled in between his legs, he curled up like a little kitten in Louis' arms.  
"Okay, I'm listening" he nestled his face into Harry's neck and took hold of his hands, holding on tightly enough to make sure Harry couldn't forget his presence.  
"When he had hit me and I had to stay the night... He thought that if we had sex, then... things were okay between us. There were times I had tried to stop him and he just did it anyway... Then he'd leave me there, lying on the floor covered in bruises and so sore I couldn't even stand up, Lou"  
"Oh god, Harry..." was all Louis could muster up, he buried his head into those bouncy brown curls and sobbed. It tore him apart inside and there was nothing he could do to take that pain away. He couldn't protect Harry from those memories.  
"That's why I couldn't go home, Lou. I left one night without saying anything and I know he'll be looking for me... But after we... Well, I had nowhere else to go and I just wanted my mum. It was stupid of me to go back but luckily enough I didn't see him. I barely left the house. I don't know what he'd do if he ever found me"  
"What was the breaking point, Harry? What made you leave?"  
"We'd been out together, he was drunk and I just wanted to go to sleep but Craig had other plans for us. I tried to tell him no, I even put up a little bit of a fight and that's when he pulled out a knife" Louis pulled Harry closer to him; their bodies squashed against one another. He never wanted to let him go. "And he held it to my throat the whole time. He said if I ever made a fool of him again he'd kill me and that was it, I knew I had to go"  
"Jesus, Haz. Please know I will _never_ let anyone hurt you. I promise"  
Harry swivelled around so that they were face to face, tears streaming down both of their cheeks and their hands still intertwined. They fell into one another, pouring out every last bit of emotion and passion into their kiss, losing themselves in the moment. Louis lay Harry down on the ground so gently and he climbed on top of him, pushing their lips together once more. His jaw was aching but he didn't care, he had to show Harry just how much he meant to him and this was his way of doing so. Louis guided his hands across Harry's chest and onto his face, forcing his tongue even deeper, desperate for every last bit that Harry had to offer him. Their hands explored each other's bodies, they managed to pull apart for a second as they pulled their t-shirts over their heads. It was liberating having their skin collide, it made Louis feel so alive. Harry pulled at the belt on Louis' jeans, forcing them down until Louis' bum hit the fresh air; within seconds Harry's hands were cupping each arse cheek, digging his nails in hard enough to make Louis' moan out loud.  
"I love your arse, Lou" he breathed, trailing his tongue up Louis' neck and along his jawline.  
"Oh fuck, Haz" Louis groaned as one of those wonderfully large hands slid down into his boxers and around his shaft. "No, Harry" Every time he tried to talk, Harry would kiss him and fuck, he wanted him so bad. He wanted every last piece of him but not like this. Not tonight.  
"Harry, please. I don't want it to be like this..." Louis pulled back, still straddling Harry and glancing down at the hand wrapped around his cock. "I want it to be special..."  
"Louis, it doesn't matter when or how, if it's with you it's special to me"  
He was the sweetest human being to ever grace the Earth and Louis felt truly blessed to have him in his life, and even though he wanted nothing more than to come undone inside of Harry he knew tonight was not the night.  
"Lets go away!" Louis said, suggesting the first thing that came to mind. The prospect of a week with Harry, away from everyone else, made him tremble with excitement. It would be perfect, they could lie by the pool, hand in hand and be able to enjoy each others company without worrying about prying eyes or judgemental remarks.  
"What?"  
"Come on! You and me! No doubt my dad is going to withdraw every last penny in my account soon so lets get there first! I'll go to the bank, take out all the money and we can get away..." he jumped onto his feet and Harry followed, the two of them literally bouncing with excitement.  
"Where would we go?" he asked, finally starting to come round to the idea.  
"Wherever you wanna go, H"  
"Okay"  
"Okay?"  
"OKAY!" Harry yelled, pouncing on to Louis and forcing him back into the bathroom door. "Lets go!"  



	15. Chapter 15

The next day Louis and Harry packed a couple of suitcases and hopped into the Audi, they drove a couple of miles out of town and walked into a travel agents, literally brimming with excitement. Harry wandered along the shelves picking up as many brochures as possible and then he took a seat at one of the desks, he pushed the USA book over to Louis. It was the least subtle hint he had ever witnessed in his entire life and he couldn't help but smile.  
"America, huh? You have expensive taste, Harold" Louis tapped him on the nose and began to flick through the pages. "Any idea where abouts in America? It is a big place you know? You're gonna have to narrow it down."  
"What's our budget?"  
"Budget? Harold, my dad has thousands of pounds stored away in my bank account, you know to keep me quiet and all that jazz? So screw a budget, where do you wanna go?"  
"Well, I've always wanted to see New York city. Oh and LA. And Vegas, we could stop off at the Grand Canyon and do one of those helicopter flights across it! Oh my god, Lou. Can we?" Harry couldn't wipe the smile off his face, those dimples were almost carved into his cheeks permanently. Louis wanted to make him happy, he wanted to take him to places he had never imagined possible and if that meant spending all of his father's money then so be it. Hell, the old git deserved it.  
"Then lets go to all three" Louis suggested, unable to fight back his smile. Harry jumped out of his chair and kissed him, he had clearly misjudged his own strength and sent Louis flying backwards off the chair. They ended up tangled in each other on the floor, giggling uncontrollably. The travel agent peered her head over the desk to look at them and smiled, "You okay down there?"  
"Um, yeah. Sorry!" Louis managed to get back onto his feet, he took hold of Harry's hand and pulled him up.  
"You need any help looking for a holiday?" she asked, taking a seat and gesturing for them to copy her. Harry nodded in reply, he looked like a little child and couldn't seem to keep still. Louis was in love with a man child.  
"Go on, Harry. Tell her what you want"  
They spent the next hour looking through hundreds of hotels, checking out reviews online, flicking through pictures of the pools and the bedrooms until eventually they settled on three different hotels. One in Los Angeles, one in Las Vegas and one in New York. Their flight was due to leave in the early hours of tomorrow morning so they decided against going back to the house. Louis and Harry thanked the young travel agent and pushed £50 into her hand before they left and clambered back into the car.  
"Okay, so what should we do to kill some time?" Harry asked, tapping his fingers against the window and still beaming from ear to ear. Louis had the perfect idea, he started up the car and began to drive without saying a word to Harry. Throughout the drive Louis' became the subject of some kind of investigation but he managed to keep quiet, he wanted this to be a surprise. He managed to find a parking space in a small side street; he didn't want Harry to spot the shop and come to any conclusions.  
"You have to stay in the car" Louis ordered, waggling his finger in Harry's face.  
"Awwww" he pouted his lips and swatted Louis' finger away, pretending to sulk.  
"Please? I wanna surprise you. Promise me you'll stay in the car?"  
"Fine. I promise"  
Louis leaned over to give him a kiss and then he climbed out the car; as he rushed off down the street he made sure to check Harry hadn't followed him. He made his way into the store and followed the directions towards the cameras. There were so many to choose from and he had no idea which one to pick. Luckily for Louis a store advisor approached him and offered his help. Louis explained the camera was a gift, it had to be high quality, have a big lens and be able to zoom in really far, he told the guy he wasn't bothered about price and eventually they landed on a Canon E0S 70D, which was just under £1000. Louis even picked out a red love heart strap so that Harry could carry it around his neck.  
Harry was singing along to the radio when Louis got back to the car, he watched him through the window for a little while; laughing to himself as Harry tried to tap out the rhythm on his knees. He climbed into the car, startling Harry into silence. His eyes soon fixed onto the carrier bag that Louis had put onto his lap.  
"Open it!" he urged, desperate to see the look on Harry's face.  
"No, I don't want it... You've already done enough for me!"  
"Open it!" Louis repeated, pulling the carrier bag down to reveal the top of the camera box. Harry's eyes lit up at the sight of it; his mouth flickered into a smile as he gently pulled it out of the bag. He caught a glimpse of the red love heart strap and made a sound which reminded Louis' of a baby piglet. "You like it?"  
"Like it? _Like_ it? Lou, I absolutely LOVE IT! I can't believe you did this... I can't accept it"  
"Please? I want you to have it... Let's make a start on that travel blog of yours!"  
The two of them fell into a deep, passionate kiss. Louis could get used to this. 

It was a long flight to Los Angeles; Louis had attempted to get some sleep but every time he was about to doze off Harry would start up another conversation with him about all the things he wanted to do whilst they were out there and how grateful he was that Louis was taking him on holiday. In the past, if _anyone_ had dared to keep Louis from getting some sleep he would launch into an angry rant and make sure that person was aware they were on his hit list but with Harry, things were different. Everything he did was completely adorable. They touched down at LAX and got a taxi straight over to their hotel, it was right around the corner from Hollywood Boulevard and literally right across the road from one of the largest shopping centres Louis had ever seen in his entire life. Harry was already snapping away on his camera, taking pictures of the hotel lobby, their bedroom and most of all, Louis.  
"Can you stop with the pictures? That's for sightseeing!"  
"You're the most beautiful sight on this planet, Lou!" he smiled, wrapping an arm around Louis' waste and kissing him on the cheek. "Eww. I can't believe you just said that..." Louis teased, playfully swatting him away and pushing him back onto the bed. Harry dragged him down too, tightening his grip and digging his fingers into his waist, tickling him into submission. "No, Harry! Stop..." he giggled, squashing Harry's face into the covers and attempting to pull his hand away from his waist, with no success. This holiday was already turning out exactly how Louis had envisioned it; the two of them alone together, embracing each other's company and feeling truly happy for once.  
"Where should we go first, Lou?" Harry asked, managing to spin Louis around and put him on the bed beside him. "I think we should go and see the walk of fame"  
"Oh but Harold, I'm so fucking jetlagged. I just wanna sleep!" he grabbed hold of one of the pillows and placed it over his face.  
"Pleeeaaasseeee"  
"Fine" Louis gave up almost immediately, one look at those sad eyes and he couldn't resist him. Harry jumped on top of him, planting sloppy kisses all over his face.  
It was such a beautiful day, the sky was perfectly blue with not a cloud in sight and that meant being able to witness Harry's long legs in a pair of shorts which was always a bonus. Louis laced his fingers through Harry's, feeling pretty smug that someone like him had bagged himself a hottie. Harry was proudly clinging on to his new camera, taking as many pictures as possible in an admirable attempt at being creative. The Hollywood walk of fame was nothing like Louis had expected, it was crowded with tourists and near impossible to get a proper look at any of the stars without some idiot stepping over it and blocking the view. Harry was so casual about it all; he would stand and wait for people to move before taking his pictures whilst Louis stood beside him, arms crossed and a killer frown on his face.  
""Oh come on grumpy, what's the matter?" Harry chuckled, grabbing onto Louis' arm and pulling him through a couple of bystanders.  
"Too many people. It's doing my head in!"  
"Oh stop! It's fun! Excuse me?" Harry turned to another young couple, who were stood beside them. "Could you take a picture of us?" He handed them his camera without even a second thought and slid his arm around Louis' waist, he hunched down a little so they were near enough the same height and leaned in to hold a kiss on Louis' cheek for the moment the camera clicked. "Thankyou!" he beamed, taking the camera back and quickly getting the image up on the screen. A huge smile spread across his face, allowing those dimples to make another appearance. Louis shuffled next to him to have a look and couldn't help but smile to himself; the picture was positively adorable and they looked perfect together.  
"That's a nice picture, isn't it? Our first one as a couple" Harry clapped his hand up against his mouth, "Oh, umm... well, that's if..-"  
"Yes, Harold. We are very much a couple" Louis stepped up onto his tiptoes and threw his arms around Harry's neck, throwing himself into a deep and passionate kiss. He didn't even care that they were surrounded by people because none of that mattered anymore, all that mattered was him and Harry and he was hoping it would stay that way for the rest of his life. They stayed to take a couple more pictures and then wandered around the streets, trying to find a place to eat that they would both agree on. Harry would point out American Diner's and fast food chains whereas Louis wanted to go somewhere special, it was their first night in Los Angeles and they were now officially a couple; surely that was worth celebrating. Eventually Louis gave in to Harry's boyish charms and settled for a place called Diana's Diner, it was luminous pink and ridiculously American inside; there were waitresses waltzing around on rollerblades and neon lights around each booth.  
"Oh god" Louis muttered as Harry lead him towards a small booth at the other end of the building.  
"Stop complaining! This place is so cool! I wish I was American"  
"Why?"  
"Because look at the kind of places they have here! And the weather's great, I love the sunshine" Harry picked up two menus and handed one over to Louis, still smiling at the decorations inside of the place. Louis reached into his pocket to turn his phone on for the first time since they had landed; he was expecting several messages about his disappearance and maybe even a couple of threatening voice mails from his father. As soon as it loaded up it began to vibrate, message after message appeared on his screen, mostly from Liam which went along the lines of 'Louis, where the fuck are u?' , 'Lou, are u ok?' , 'Louis if u don't answer I swear i'm gonna phone the police' . He decided it was probably best to reply to the last one; he didn't need any more hassle from the police so he typed out a quick message; 'Hi Liam, stop ur worrying. Took Harry away for a couple of weeks, see u when we get back x'  
"Your dad?" Harry asked, peering over the top of the menu.  
"Nope, not yet. He probably hasn't even noticed I'm gone... It was Liam, worrying as usual"  
"It's nice that he worries about you, he's obviously a good friend" Harry reached across the table to steal a quick kiss and then he closed his eyes and began swirling his finger across the menu.  
"What are you doing, Styles?" Louis asked, letting out a sigh at the complete dork sat in front of him. Was he even a real person?  
"I can't decide what I want, so I'm gonna let fate decide. C'mon, Lou. Do it with me! Let's play it risky..."  
"Ooh, random selecting something from the menu without looking. Living the wild life, Styles."  
Louis spent the rest of the meal throwing playful comments at Harry; he was perfectly endearing but he couldn't let him know that he thought so. Harry had ended up landing on a chilli cheese hot dog whereas Louis had landed on a kingsize double bacon burger but somehow the two ended up switching... (Harry sulked for ten minutes and refused to admit his idea to pick a meal with his eyes closed was stupid). It was only 7.30pm when they left the diner and although they felt exhausted from the jetlag they had decided to nip into a local bar for a couple of drinks. They were on holiday after all. The bar was pretty crowded when they arrived, Harry made sure he kept tight hold of Louis' hand as they shifted through the crowds towards the barman.  
"What do you want to drink?" Louis asked, throwing his arm around his boyfriend's waist and nuzzling his nose against his ear. It was strange but for some reason Louis still found himself scanning the room to see if anybody was watching but to his relief, nobody gave them a second glance.  
"Can I have a pina colada please, Lou? Will you have one with me?"  
"Okay, two pina colada's please" he smiled at the barman and handed some money across to him. Once they had received their drinks they wandered around the bar in an attempt to find a private booth; it was selfish but Louis wanted Harry all to himself. They spent the rest of their evening drinking cocktails and chatting between themselves, as more and more alcohol passed their lips they couldn't keep their hands off each other.  
"Come on then, Lou... When did you realise you liked me?" Harry whispered, sliding his hand up Louis' thigh and making him shudder, he couldn't even think straight but he could remember as clear as day the moment he first clapped eyes on the curly haired beauty.  
"Straight away"  
"Really?"  
"Yep. I saw you for the first time and thought, fucking hell, he's gorgeous" Louis reached over and kissed him, just because he could and he still couldn't believe his luck. "What about you?"  
"I guess I always knew.. from the very beginning but I think, seeing you naked in the bathroom. That won me over" he winked, giving Louis' thigh a squeeze and then taking a sip of his drink, without glancing away. Fucking seductive little shit. Louis had never wanted anything so badly in his life but he had another hurdle to cross; how was he supposed to explain to Harry that he had never actually slept with a guy before? He didn't want to disappoint him and that was exactly what was going to happen if he didn't tell him... 

Their four days in Los Angeles flew by like a whirlwind; they had spent their days roaming around the sights, shopping and sitting by the pool, they had even visited Disneyland and somehow Harry had convinced Louis to go on every single ride. By night they tried out different night clubs, drinking until the early hours and draping themselves all over one another but somehow they hadn't taken things any further. They had arrived in Las Vegas late afternoon and checked straight into the hotel; Louis had jumped in the shower whilst Harry unpacked their things and hung them up in the wardrobe. He was such a neat freak.  
"Why bother unpacking? We're only here for four days!"  
"Because otherwise the place ends up a mess!" Harry chucked a pair of swimming shorts towards him and smiled, "Now put them on. I want to go down to the pool!"  
"For fuck sake" Louis dropped his towel without even a second thought and was about to step into his shorts, when Harry approached him with a cheeky grin on his face. He took hold of Louis' dick and dropped to his knees, keeping his green eyes fixated on Louis' face. He was so fucking hot.  
"Come on grumpy, how about I cheer you up?" and seconds later his plump pink lips were wrapped around his shaft, working their way up and down and taking complete control over Louis. He placed his hand on the back of Harry's head, thrusting along with the movement and absorbing himself in this moment, weakened by his sexual desires. Louis stumbled backwards as Harry flicked his tongue along the ridge; knowing exactly how to work his magic, he gripped the back of Louis' knees and held him into place, forcing his mouth further and further down.  
"Oh god, Harry... I'm so close..." he panted, feeling the pleasure bubble up inside of him, almost ready to burst. He gazed down at Harry who was looking straight back up at him, enjoying the power he had over Louis' in that moment. He sucked harder and faster, letting out moans of pleasure which drove Louis' insane and he allowed himself to come, releasing everything he had built up into Harry's sweet little mouth. He fell back onto the bed and watched as Harry swallowed the traces Louis' had left in his mouth; it was incredibly hot to witness and he gestured for him to come closer. Harry scrambled on top of him, a huge smile was plastered on to his face; he was so pleased with himself. He had every right to be. Louis couldn't remember the last time anyone had ever made him feel that good.  
"Now can we go down to the pool" Harry smirked, taking hold of Louis' face and kissing him on the lips.  
"Bribery huh? You're a little shit, Harold Styles. Do you know that?"  
"It's been mentioned once or twice, yes. Now come on" he pulled Louis up onto his feet and gave his arse a gentle squeeze before dropping his pants and leaning over to grab his swimming shorts. Louis' eyes trailed after him, admiring the view of that small, tight arse and beautifully crafted figure. This was heaven.  
Harry spread their towels over two sun loungers and dived into the pool, the sunlight glistened off his wet skin and he pushed his curls back from his face.  
"You coming in, Lou?" he yelled, beckoning for him. Louis stepped up and ran at the pool, jumping in towards Harry and dunking him under the water, playfully. He surfaced and took a deep breath, his hair was all over his face but Louis could tell he was frowning. The two of them ended up wrestling in the water; Harry tried his best to push Louis' underwater but somehow he managed to overpower him. Tickling had helped him out, of course...   
"Alright, time out!" Harry giggled, pushing Louis back against the side and pecking him on the lips.   
"Is that because you're losing?"   
"You cheated!"   
"And how is tickling classed as cheating? Please provide me with a copy of the rules, Harold"   
"You know what, I shall write some up and give you a copy!"   
"But you can add any rule you like and that's incredibly unfair. I'm not playing anymore" Louis pushed himself up and out of the water, he lay down on the sunlounger and put the v up at Harry, who was smirking over at him. He pulled his shades on and swam away to the other side of the pool. He was so magnificently majestic, his long slender legs gliding up and down through the water. Louis could definitely get used to this, lay by the pool in the Nevada sunshine, watching the sunlight glisten off the love of his life's golden skin. This was heaven. He knew it was almost too good to be true when his phone began to light up and the name 'Dad' popped up on the screen. He answered it straight away, he had been waiting for this moment and wasn't going to hide away from it.   
"Hello dad"   
"Louis, where the hell are you and what have you done with all that money? The club phoned me today and said you haven't turned up for the last two shifts and you missed the boys first football match... What is going on with you? It's that boy isn't it? You-"   
"Dad, chill out. I've just... I'm taking a little break from things that's all" "Taking a little break from things? Without letting anyone know? Your mother and I have been going out of our minds with worry..."   
"Don't make me laugh! You couldn't care less about me, you're only bothered about the money!" Louis snapped, it was the truth and he wanted it to hurt. The silence at the other end of the phone made it clear that his words had struck a chord with his father; there was nothing else to say.   
"Bye dad"   
"No, Louis. WAIT"   
"What?"   
"I'm glad to hear you're okay" and he cut the phone call off, leaving Louis feeling a little bit uneasy. Harry jumped out of the pool and approached him cautiously, he could read the vibes of the situation. He sat on the sun lounger beside Louis and took hold of his hand without saying a word. His touch was enough to comfort him. His touch was enough, full stop.   
"I love you, Harry"   
"I love you too, Lou"   



	16. Chapter 16

"You're putting all your chips on 17 black?" Harry gasped, watching as Louis' slid $2000 dollars worth of chips over to the banker.  
"Fuck yeah, I'm feeling lucky babe!"  
"No, Lou. You're feeling drunk... There's a massive difference!" he placed his hand on top of Louis' and stared at him, he was much more cautious and much less drunk.  
"I'm doing it!"  
The banker took the chips and spun the wheel; there was an air of excitement bursting from the spectators around the table and Louis had both his fingers crossed, praying to win. Harry gripped onto Louis' thigh as the table began to slow down, slipping past each number and getting closer and closer to 17 black.  
"Shit. Shit. Shit. Come _on_ " Louis whispered, holding his breath in anticipation as the table spun slower and slower. It stopped. 17 black. They'd done it. They had fucking won. Everyone erupted into cheers; Harry almost threw Louis off the chair when he pounced on him, beaming with absolute pleasure.  
"17 black" the banker called out, just to confirm it. He took all of the chips and scooped them over to Louis' who started throwing them into his shirt. Harry joined him. Neither of them were sure how much they had won but it must have been a lot considering everyone's reactions. The two of them strolled hand in hand towards the customer service desk and slammed the chips down onto the counter. Louis couldn't contain his smug grin, his luck had changed so much lately and he couldn't quite believe it. They were living the dream.  
"Had a lucky night fellas?" the lady behind the desk asked, sorting out all the chips and counting them up. Louis could have sworn she had just passed 10, which could only mean there was more than 10k worth of winnings.  
"We certainly have!" Harry replied, smacking Louis' on the bum and getting a little bit cheeky.  
"Well guys, you have won a total of $24,630. Congratulations"  
"ARGHHHH!" the two of them yelled in unison, falling to the ground in one another's arms. Louis grabbed hold of Harry's cheeks and forced kisses all over his face.  
"I don't fucking believe it!"  
"I know, Lou! What should we do?"  
"Celebrate baby!"  
Louis hired a VIP table in the Bellagio for him and Harry, it was right by the water fountain outside, the water glistening in the neon lights of the strip. Louis had bought several bottles of champagne and a chocolate fountain for the table, just so he could feed chocolate cover Harry in it. Louis was incredibly drunk, everything was a blur except the image of those bright green, emerald eyes staring back at him.  
"I fuckin' love you, Harold. I mean it... I'm so glad I met you!"  
"Hey come on, Tomlinson. Don't you get soppy on me!" Harry smiled, wiping chocolate along Louis' bottom lip and leaning in to lick it off. Oh shit, he had a hard on in the middle of the club. Great. He wanted Harry so desperately, he started thinking about smearing chocolate all over his body and slowly licking it off him, working down his stomach and towards his cock. No, Louis. Not here.  
"You wanna go back to the room?" he whispered, guiding his hand up the inside of Harry's thigh and tracing his lips along his jawline.  
"Now?"  
"Yes. Now" Louis demanded, unable to control his desperation. Harry picked up a bottle of champagne and got to his feet, he held his hand out for Louis and the two of them headed towards the door. As soon as they got outside Louis pulled Harry into one of the side streets and slammed him up against the wall, slowly exploring the sweet taste of his mouth and letting his hands trail up his t-shirt.  
"Lou, not here..." Harry whispered, pushing him backwards and taking a deep breath. Oh no, he was going to turn him down... He was having second thoughts. Louis was going to be sick. He knew it was too good to be true.  
"Wait till we get back to the hotel room" he flashed him a cheeky smile, showing off his dimples. Louis let out a sigh of relief, he nodded in agreement and dragged Harry towards a row of taxis.  
"Get in!" Louis practically threw Harry into the backseat and clambered in beside him, "MGM Grand, please". The taxi ride only took ten minutes but it felt like a lifetime; Louis couldn't take his eyes off Harry who was obviously teasing him by running his hand up and down his thigh. He twirled his fingers through Louis' hair and nestled his nose into his ear, closing the space between them. When they pulled up outside the hotel, Louis passed the money over to the driver and dived out of the door, pulling Harry along with him. Once the two of them got into the lift Louis pushed him against the wall and forced his tongue into his mouth, desperate for the soft touch of Harry's tongue against his own. Their bodies almost merged into one, hands exploring each other, hair dishevelled and breath heavy, Louis wanted to take him in his mouth right there. He couldn't wait any longer. He had waited for too damn long. He dropped to his knees and fumbled at Harry's zipper but he blocked him and pulled him back onto his feet.  
"Lou, we're almost there... Just wait" he whispered, pressing himself up against Louis and allowing their erections to collide. The lift doors opened and the two of them sprinted to the room, pushing the door open and falling onto the bed, wrapped up in each other's arms.  
"Harry?" Louis piped up, bringing the kiss to a halt. He knew he would have to tell Harry that this was going to be his first time, he didn't want to keep anything from him and he certainly didn't want to be a disappointment. "Okay... Well, I don't really know how to say this..."  
"What's wrong? Are you having second thoughts?"  
"No, it's not that... I want this. I want _you_ . It's just..."  
"Spit it out, Lou! You can tell me anything."  
Okay, here it goes. No more lies, Louis.  
"I've never been with a guy before..."  
Harry didn't say anything at first, he rubbed his fingers along his lips and stared at Louis, contemplating what to say next. Louis was terrified, maybe he had put Harry off completely. He got to his feet and wandered off into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and leaving Louis alone, fighting back the tears of rejection that were burning up in his eyes.  
"Harry?" he called out, making his way towards the bathroom and tapping on the door, gently. There was no reply. Louis pressed his ear against the door; the sound of water gushing from the taps collided with his ear drums. What the hell was he doing in there? "Harry? Open the door please."  
"Yes?" he asked, peering out from around the door, making sure to shield the rest of the bathroom from view.  
"Have I upset you?"  
"Come in here" Harry grabbed Louis' t-shirt and dragged him inside the bathroom, the bath was full to the brim with bubbles and scented bath bombs that Harry had found in the hotel. The aroma of strawberries filled his nostrils and he turned to Harry with a baffled look on his face.  
"What is this?"  
"If it's your first time I want it to be special, Lou. So climb in... I'm gonna run to the shop and grab some things"  
"What things?"  
"Just get in the bloody bath, Tomlinson. I want to surprise you!" Harry leaned in for a kiss and started to pull Louis' t-shirt over his head.  
"Fine. But don't be long!" he ordered, pulling his jeans down and stepping out of them, leaving him stood there in nothing but his underwear. Once he had left the bathroom Louis climbed out of his boxers and stepped into the soothing hot water, it was incredibly relaxing and he found himself unable to keep his eyes open. All he could think about was that cute little curly haired dork that he was in love with and the fact that within an hour he was going to feel him inside of him, even the thought drove him insane.His erection peered out from underneath the bubbles but he managed to control his urges; he wanted tonight to be perfect and he wanted to save every last bit of himself for Harry.  
It had been a good ten minutes before Harry stumbled into the bathroom with a bottle of champagne in his hand; he was wearing nothing but a smile as he clambered into the bath alongside Louis. He slid his legs underneath Louis' and popped open the champagne; allowing the fizz to drip into the bath water.  
"Would you like a drink, sir?" he asked, holding out the bottle.  
"Yes please. Have you got glasses for it?"  
"Nah, tonight we're drinking from the bottle!" he giggled at his own joke and began humming along to the Calvin Harris song.  
"You're so lame... Give me the damn bottle then!" Louis smirked, taking a drink of champagne and handing it back to him.  
"Come over here, Lou and turn around please" For some reason Louis didn't question it, he slid across the bath and turned around, putting his back towards Harry. He slotted perfectly in between his legs, they were like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Harry worked his hands into Louis' shoulders, pushing out all of the tension with just enough force to make him moan.  
"Do you like that, Lou?" Harry whispered, his cool breath tickling against his ear. Louis tilted his head back onto Harry's chest and flashed him a smile, surely that was enough to answer his question. Harry worked his fingers up onto Louis' neck, kneading into his skin and circling his thumb in a smooth rhythm. His erection made another appearance, popping up through the bubbles and doing everything to contradict Louis' attempt at being discreet. Harry slid his hands down Louis' chest, getting lower and lower until they were underwater and tracing along his thighs. He had completely skipped over his dick; teasing him and making him desperate for his touch. Harry trailed his fingers up and down Louis' inner thigh, getting ever so close to his dick and then falling away from it again.  
"Harry..." Louis pleaded, pushing himself backwards against Harry's erection.  
"What babe?" he giggled, knowing full well what he was doing.  
"You know what!"  
"Tell me what you want" Harry whispered, brushing one hand against Louis' tip and then moving it away immediately.  
"I want you to touch me..." Louis panted, turning his head to the side so that he could see the look on Harry's face. He was smug. The little shit.  
"And what's the magic word?"  
"Please" he begged and within seconds Harry had pushed his tongue into Louis' mouth, working its way around. He bit down gently on Louis' lip and wrapped his long fingers around Louis' shaft, slowly guiding his hand up and down. The water lapping against his foreskin made things even sexier, Harry's free hand had a tight grip on Louis' hair, keeping his head in place so that Harry could continue to kiss him. He worked his way up and down Louis' dick faster and faster, getting off on the fact that Louis was letting out his moans of pleasure into Harry's mouth. It felt good to let him take control. He tightened his grip; pumping faster and faster until Louis couldn't take it anymore. He exploded into the warm water, letting out a hum of euphoria into Harry's mouth and enjoying the feel of his lips curl up into a smile. Louis spun over onto his knees and smiled up at Harry, "Okay, now it's your turn" he leaned down, ready to take him in his mouth but for some reason Harry stopped him.  
"No, Lou. I want tonight to be about you..."  
"Harry I want to..."  
"No, Lou!" he insisted, tilting Louis' face up towards him and pressing their lips together ever so softly. "Right.. um, let me get out first. You hang on here for a second!" Harry stood up from out of the bubbles, revealing all of his glory; he had obviously gotten excited over recent events himself. He stepped out of the bath tub and wrapped a towel around his waist, Louis hadn't taken his eyes off him. How had he got so lucky? Harry left the bathroom and closed the door behind him, Louis decided to get out of the bath and wait, his fingers were all wrinkly and the water had gone cold. He grabbed a towel and wiped himself down, drying off all the remaining water on his body.  
"Right, Lou! I'm ready!" Harry shouted through the door. Louis entered the bedroom and froze, unsure whether to laugh or cry at all the effort he had gone to for him. There were rose petals all over the mattress (cheesy but so fucking cute) and Harry was stood holding a box of chocolates in nothing but a leather jacket. Droplets of water were still rolling down his immaculate body, Louis watched them as they trailed down to his crotch; which was still standing to attention for him. Harry's hair was still wet, he had pushed it back from his face and Louis couldn't help but compare him to a character from Grease. A smile burst onto his face and he began to laugh, it was more of a nervous chuckle and Harry picked up on it immediately. He placed the chocolates down onto the bed and took Louis' hand, he slowly lay him back onto the mattress and climbed on top of him, the muscles in his arms were tense as he propped himself up. Louis' heart was racing; this boy literally took his breath away and as his erection thrust against Louis' leg he let out a whimper. He had never wanted something so much in his life but fuck, he was nervous. It had all built up to this moment right here, something he had imagined for the past few months and here he was, about to wimp out.  
"Don't be scared, Lou" Harry whispered, dropping down and delving into a deep and passionate kiss. Harry wrapped his arms around Louis' neck, his fingers gliding through his wet hair. The two of them were tangled up in one another, their tongues colliding again and again, deeper and deeper as their hands explored one another's bodies. In that moment nothing else mattered, Louis couldn't think of anything other than the feel of Harry's skin rubbing against him and the sweet taste of his mouth.  
"Are you ready to try it?" Harry asked, rolling off him and swirling his finger in circles around Louis' belly button, causing him to get goosebumps.  
"I think so..." he replied, biting down on his bottom lip.  
"Okay" Harry guided Louis onto his hands and knees and took his position behind him. He reached over to the bedside table and grabbed some lubricant; once he had opened the packet, he put some onto his shaft and slowly worked it up and down. His erection looked incredibly intimidating as it slid against his naked skin. Harry stroked it up and down Louis' cheeks, narrowly missing his entrance, teasing him. "I'll take things slow, Lou. I'm gonna go in now, okay?" Harry placed one hand firmly on Louis' hip, and guided his own cock towards Louis' entrance, he took a deep breath and slowly eased his way in. Louis' couldn't help but gasp as it stretched him open, granting Harry access; it was painful but so good, almost unbearable. Once Harry had filled him up he worked his way back and forth ever so gently; allowing Louis to get used to the sensation.  
"Is that okay?" Harry asked, pushing his way back in and whimpering with pleasure with each thrust.  
"Yeah Haz... It's... amazing" he panted, backing himself up on Harry and letting him go even deeper inside of him. His cock slid in and out of him, putting more force with each thrust. The two of them moaning with pleasure, almost in complete harmony.  
"Oh fuck, Harry..." Louis groaned, pressing his face down into the duvet to stifle his moans. Harry began to tease him, pulling his cock out almost all the way and then slamming back into him, taking pleasure in each desperate cry Louis let out.  
"Lou? Can we change position please? I want to be able to see you"  
Here they were fucking like animals and he was still as polite as ever. Louis pulled away from him and turned around, nodding at his suggestion. Harry climbed onto the bed and lay on his back; he held his arms out for Louis and pulled him on top. He slid his hand down to his cock and guided it back inside of Louis, smiling to himself as he entered. Harry started off ever so slowly again, pushing him up and down, keeping their eyes fixed on one another's face. Harry took hold of Louis' hands and laced their fingers together, stepping up the intimacy even more. Louis loved watching Harry; every now and again he would bite down on his lip and that was a sign he was about to pick up the pace. He thrust into Louis' harder and harder, building up the speed. Fuck, it felt so good. Louis couldn't handle it. He found himself pleading with Harry to stop, even though that was the last thing he wanted.  
"You want me to stop?" Harry asked, taking hold of Louis' thighs and pushing up inside of him.  
"No... Please, don't"  
"It's nice hearing you beg" he smirked as he wrapped one hand around Louis' cock and started working his hand up and down the shaft. Oh fuck, it was too much...  
"Harry... I-" Louis panted, unable to get his words out. He was completely overwhelmed with pleasure; the orgasm building up inside of him.  
"What Lou, what do you want?"  
"I want you... Harry" And that was it, he erupted all over Harry's hand and watched as it fell onto his stomach. He felt so weak but Harry hadn't finished yet, he was still thrusting inside of him, faster and deeper each time. Louis placed his hand on to Harry's chest to stop himself from falling as Harry slammed into him again and again. After a couple more thrusts he felt the warmth spread inside of him as Harry slowly came to a stop, he threw his head back onto the pillow and let out a sigh. Louis clambered off the top of him and nestled underneath Harry's arm, burying his head into his chest and feeling the rise and fall with every breath he took.  
"Was that okay, Lou?"  
"It was perfect, Haz" Louis glanced up, nudging the bottom of Harry's chin with his nose.  
"You sore?"  
"A little bit..."  
"Good, means you won't forget about it for at least 24 hours!" he grinned and wrapped his arms around Louis, squeezing him as tight as he possibly could. "I love you, Lou"  
"I love you more, Harry" he replied, embracing the boy in front of him and taking in every last bit of him; so thankful that he had come into his life.  



End file.
